Morning Bits
Good morning everyone!
The Yankees managed a split of a doubleheader yesterday with the Dodgers.
The afternoon game saw Lyle Overbay and Ichiro Suzuki get the big hits that propelled the Yankees to a 6-4 win.
Hiroki Kuroda didn’t have his best stuff and allowed eight hits in 6 2/3 innings but managed to allow only two runs.
The night game was a disaster for the Bronx Bombers. Phil Hughes allowed ten hits and five earned runs over six innings in a bad outing and the offense managed only three hits all night long.
The Yankees play the first of three games against division rival Tampa Bay tonight in the Bronx.
Andy Pettitte(5-4, 3.95 ERA) will battle Matt Moore(8-3, 4.12 ERA) tonight. Game time is 7:05 PM ET and YES will broadcast the game.
Now on to today’s news links:
Peter Botte and Stephen Lorenzo of the New York Daily News point out the value of Ichiro Suzuki lately.
Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger says that Phil Hughes mediocre June performance may cost him his rotation spot.
Have a great day everyone!
In a cruel twist of fate, the Yankees will need A-Rod the most
Two weeks ago, it appeared that the Alex Rodriguez era in New York was coming to a crashing conclusion. MLB had announced they are seeking to suspend him and about twenty other ballplayers for having connections to Anthony Bosch, the PED supplier from the Biogenesis clinic in Miami.
Many Yankees fans reacted with pure joy, believing that A-Rod and his mess of a contract could finally be shed by the team. With him taking only baby steps in his long road back from a second hip surgery, the looming 100-game suspension almost certainly would ensure that 2013 would be a year without the 37-year old has-been slugger.
As the Yanks had just gotten Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis back off of the disabled list, there was little doubt that the team wouldn’t continue its surprisingly hot start to the season. Yet, just returning home after losing six out of ten games on the West Coast, the Bombers have hit a low point. The offense can barely score more than two runs a game, and the pitching has been average at best.
Adding injury to insult, Tex and Youk were both placed back on the disabled list with the same injuries that had them land on it in the first place. Inflammation in the right wrist for Mark, and a herniated disc for Kevin, one that was just operated on and will take 10-12 weeks at the minimum to heal.
If it explains their anemic performance since first returning from the DL, so be it. But the fact remains that the disabled list has once again inflated back to including all of the potent Yankee hitters not named Robinson Cano. With Youkilis almost certainly done for the year, and the constant threat of Teixeira suffering the same fate, it is not looking promising for the lineup to get any better any time soon.
That is, until A-Rod comes back.
You read that right. As far as the public knows, the only evidence MLB has been able to sniff out of Biogenesis is the journal of names and drugs Bosch allegedly kept for keeping tabs on all his clients. If I were a betting man, the investigation could go on well into the winter. Meaning (when he is physically ready), A-Rod can come back and be re-inserted as the team’s everyday third baseman.
It sounds ridiculous and trust me it’s not something I want to see happen. I am just like the common fan who would forever love Brian Cashman if he was able to get #13 out of the Bronx somehow. But, putting all the baggage Rodriguez brings with him aside, the Yankees need offense in the worst way possible. The trade market looks incredibly thin for impact bats, and the Yankees probably don’t have the pieces to acquire one even if they tried to.
So if I’m the Yankees and I can count on A-Rod hitting .280, driving in runs, and having the occasional power to hit one out, why the hell wouldn’t he be welcomed back? The fact is, no one knows if Curtis Granderson will still have enough pop in his broken hands to be the main power source of the lineup, or if Derek Jeter’s cranky ankle will hold up for him to be a reliable top-of-the-order hitter for the stretch run.
At this point in the year, as the lineup looks as bad as its been in decades, Alex Rodriguez may be the last hope for the Yankees to have a shot at competing for a playoff spot. The Red Sox, Orioles, and Rays are not going away anytime soon, and they have the younger, more athletic, and overall healthier ball-clubs.
Counting on Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, and Travis Hafner to be a potent middle-of-the-order bunch come the dog days of summer and the tense moments of a pennant race is not the way to go. As lost as the season once seemed for the Yankees’ oldest, most banged-up stars, it may be up to the Captain, and more importantly A-Rod alone, to keep Yankee Stadium’s lights glowing for the month of October.
As crazy as it sounds, it may be the only rational route to another Yankee playoff berth.
Game 71 Lineup: Dodgers vs. Yankees
Game 1 was great, so let’s make Game 2 even better! Here is the starting lineup for the nightcap with Hughes on the mound!
Brett Gardner CF
Jayson Nix SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells DH
Thomas Neal RF
Ichiro Suzuki LF
David Adams 3B
Lyle Overbay 1V
Austin Romine C
Phil Hughes RHP
Game 70 Lineup: Dodgers vs. Yankees
Let’s play an (unplanned) two games today! Yankees vs. Dodgers! Here’s Game 1′s lineup!
Brett Gardner CF
Jayson Nix SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Thomas Neal DH
Ichiro Suzuki RF
David Adams 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Stewart C
Hiroki Kuroda LHP
* Game 1 will broadcast on the YES Network. Game 2 will broadcast on My9.
Morning Bits
Good morning everyone!
Last night’s rainout has resulted in the scheduling of a doubleheader for today at Yankee Stadium.
The first game will begin at 1:05 PM ET and will be broadcast by WWOR. Hiroki Kuroda(6-5, 2.78 ERA) will face Hyun-Jin Ryu(6-2, 2.85).
The second game will begin at 7:05 PM ET and will be broadcast by ESPN and YES. Phil Hughes(3-5, 4.89 ERA) will face Chris Capuano(1-4, 5.45 ERA).
Now on to today’s news links:
Kieran Darcy of ESPNNewYork.com has this piece on Don Mattingly stating that not getting the manager job for his old team was a blessing.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says an old and pricey,decaying roster is the same theme as last year for the Yankees.
Mike Fitzpatrick of the AP writes about Mark Teixeira heading to the DL again and Kevin Youkilis requiring back surgery that will sideline him for at least 10-12 weeks.
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has this article on Don Mattingly returning to Yankee Stadium for the first time with the Dodgers.
Have a great day everyone!
Game 70 Lineup: Dodgers vs. Yankees
Welcome home Don Mattingly to Yankee Stadium. Now, let’s give Mattingly a proper welcome, shall we? Here is the lineup.
Brett Gardner CF
Jayson Nix SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Thomas Neal DH
Ichiro Suzuki RF
David Adams 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Chris Stewart C
Phil Hughes RHP
Some Notes:
– Mark Teixeira has been placed on the 15-day DL. Yankees have recalled RHP Adam Warren–AND they called up OF Zolio Almonte. Chris Bootcheck has been DFA’d.
Morning Bits
Good morning everyone!
After a travel day back to New York the Yankees will kick off a nine game home stand at Yankee Stadium tonight against the Dodgers.
Game time is at 7:05 PM ET and WWOR will broadcast the game.
Phil Hughes(3-5, 4.89 ERA) will face Hyun-Jin Ryu(6-2, 2.85 ERA).
Here are today’s news links:
Dayn Perry of CBSSPORTS.com says Yankee GM Brian Cashman is leaning towards putting Mark Teixeira on the DL again.
Bryan Hoch of MLB.com has this article about Cashman saying that he isn’t counting on Kevin Youkilis to return this year.
George A. King III of the New York Post reports that Cashman isn’t happy about Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long’s comments to the media about Mark Teixeira’s condition.
Have a great day everyone!
Morning Bits
Good morning everyone!
The Yankees put an end to their losing streak yesterday with a 6-5 win over the Angels.
Travis Hafner put the Yankees on top with a three-run homer in the third inning which was followed by RBI hits by Lyle Overbay and Justin Nix to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead.
CC Sabathia threw eight fantastic innings before getting into trouble in the ninth. David Robertson and Mariano Rivera almost blew the game for the Yankees in relief but managed to barely hang on to the lead.
The Yankees concluded their ridiculously scheduled ten game West Coast trip with a 4-6 record which has them back in third place in the Al East, three games behind the Red Sox and one-and-a-half games behind the Orioles.
The Yankees are off today and start a nine game home stand with a game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees have 26 games left before the All-Star break and 19 of those games will be in Yankee Stadium.
Now on to today’s news links:
David Waldstein of the New York Times has the story on Mark Teixeira’s wrist.
Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News has this recap of the top ten moments in Yankees-Dodgers history.
Wally Matthews of ESPNNY.com says not to expect the cavalry to come and save the Yankees.
Have a great day everyone!
Game 69 Lineup: Yankees @ Angels
It’s the series finale vs. the Angels and the West Coast Road-trip Today’s matchup doesn’t look so promising for the Yanks as they’ll face Jered Weaver. Here’s your lineup.
Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix 3B
Reid Brignac SS
Chris Stewart C
CC Sabathia LHP
Morning Bits
Good Morning Everyone!
The Yankees suffered their fifth straight loss last night at the hands of the Angels by a score of 6-2.
The Yankees managed only five hits while pitcher David Phelps allowed nine hits and four earned runs over six innings.
Today’s game concludes the Yankees’ marathon West Coast Trip. Game time is 3:35 ET and will be broadcast by YES.
Now on to today’s news links:
Andy McCullough of The Star-Ledger writes about Mark Teixeira’s wrist and looming doctor visit.
Bill Baer of NBCSports.com has the facts and figures about the huge drops in ratings and attendance this year for the Yankees.
Scott Miller of CBSSPORTS.com says the Yankees are just another team now.
Have a great day everyone!
Game 68 Lineup: Yankees @ Angels
Lineup vs. Angels:
Brett Gardner CF
Jayson Nix 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Lyle Overbay DH
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Thomas Neal LF
Reid Brignac SS
Chris Stewart C
RHP David Phelps
Morning Bits
Good morning everyone!
The Yankees lost their fourth straight game last night by a score of 5-2 to the Angels.
Andy Pettitte allowed four earned runs on eleven hits in a sub-par outing.
The Yankees offense was the culprit again, managing only six hits.
Tonight’s game begins at 7:15 ET and will be broadcast by Fox.
David Phelps(4-3, 3.90 ERA) will face Tommy Hanson(3-2, 4.12 ERA).
Now on to today’s news and links:
Wally Matthews of ESPNNY discusses Kevin Youkilis heading back to the DL
David Waldstein of the New York Times says the Yankees may need A-Rod back after all.
Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal wonders if Yankee fans just want star players.
Have a great day everyone!
Game 67 Lineup: Yankees @ Angels
It’s the first game of a three game set and the Yankees are sending Andy Pettitte out there to stop the Yanks three game skid. Here’s the starting lineup!
Brett Gardner CF
Jayson Nix 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano DH
Vernon Wells LF
Thomas Neal RF
David Adams 2B
Reid Brignac SS
Austin Romine C
Andy Pettitte LHP
Some Notes:
– There are quite a few notes going around today, most of the buzz coming from Kevin Youkilis. Youkilis was placed on the DL today with a lumbar strain (back strain). He also said that he felt numbness in his foot when he woke up this morning.
– Eduardo Nunez was moved from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL. He is eligible to come off the DL on July 5.
– The Yankees sent down Adam Warren to Scranton-Triple AAA for the next couple of days, mostly since he can’t start and won’t be much use to the Yankees this series after throwing 85 pitches last night.
– The Yankees purchased the contracts of RHP Chris Bootcheck and OF Thomas Neal, sending them to the majors.
– To add Bootcheck to the 40-man roster, Cesar Cabral was outrighted to Double-AA Trenton.
The time is now to trade Joba and Hughes
It still seems like yesterday when, in 2007, two Yankee mainstay pitchers of the past seven seasons made their first appearances in pinstripes.
First, there was 20-year old Phil Hughes, a hard throwing right-hander who drew comparisons to Roger Clemens as he advanced through the farm system. Drafted 23rd overall in the 2004 amateur draft, the Yankees had high hopes that finally, after a dry spell of All-Star caliber players emerging from the minors, that Hughes would become their ace for the next decade. Due to injuries to the pitching staff, he came up and made his debut on April 26th, 2007, finishing the year with 72.2 innings under his belt and a respectable 4.46 ERA for such a young starting pitcher in such a ferocious AL East division.
Then there was Joba Chamberlain, who was drafted 41st overall in 2006. Not even a full calendar year after signing his first contract, the then 21-year old Joba burst upon the scene when he pumped 100 mph fastballs past a dazed Blue Jays team in Toronto on August 7th. His pure dominance of each batter he faced allowed Joe Torre to entrust him with the eighth inning job, setting up Mariano Rivera. Like Mo had done years prior, it was the hope of the organization that Joba would start out as the bridge to a dominant closer, and then become one. Allowing one earned run in 24 innings surely reassured any of the doubters.
Since such promising starts to their careers in ’07, both Hughes and Chamberlain have endured injuries, moves into and out of the bullpen, and flat out inconsistent performances. There have certainly been bright spots along the way for both hurlers, however.
Hughes pitched to a 3.03 ERA in 2009, starting out as a starter and then filling the role of set-up man admirably. And after permanently being put back into the rotation in 2010, he won 18 games. Also, Joba was putting together a terrific 2011 season [2.83 ERA in 28.2 innings pitched] before he underwent Tommy John surgery.
Yet, to claim their Yankee careers to date have been successful ones would probably be a misguided belief. They are now in what are considered their “prime” years, and yet 2013 has been one of the ugliest for Joba and Phil. Of course, with the offense the pitching staff has to deal with or lack thereof, both are certainly under a lot of stress and any small mistakes they make are magnified like never before. But, there is no escaping the fact that both of them have underperformed, no matter the circumstances.
Yes, Hughes has had his share of good starts this season, but they are normally sandwiched in-between horrible outings. It is still fresh in this fan’s mind that he allowed 7 runs in the first inning to the Mariners, who in all respect have a better offense than last season, but certainly not good enough to put up rallies like that against even an average starter. But as I said, then he goes out the other night in Seattle against the very same team and throws seven shutout innings. It’s frustrating, bizarre, and as much potential as he has to be great every night, the times that he isn’t have really cost the Yankees so far this year.
At this point it really doesn’t matter what Joba Chamberlain does, because he is in the doghouse for eternity with Yankee fans. No matter how he “shushed” Mariano Rivera, all I care about is what happens on the field, and even still Joba has been disappointing. Granted, he did miss practically the whole month of May with a strained right oblique, but collectively in 2013 he has given up three more hits than innings pitched, a red flag right off the bat. Even when he has an “effective” outing, he still often gets into trouble by nibbling at the corners and forgetting that he boasts a 95 mph fastball that still has some bite left in it. He too has been such a streaky pitcher, and ultimately you’d have to hope it wouldn’t last long in New York. Right?
Well, that is why I strongly consider that the Yankees trade not just one of them, but both Joba and Phil. Like I started the article saying, these two guys have been here for a long time, and it certainly would be odd not seeing them in the dugout or on the mound every other day. But it’s been shown that when they are “on”, Chamberlain and Hughes can be two of the most dominating pitchers in the American League, and that potential alone attracts pitching-deprived teams.
With the way the Yankees lineup has fallen into its worst slump since likely before I was born, I am shocked there aren’t many rumors going around about the team trading some of its pitchers. The pitching has been tremendous, Hughes and Joba aside, so what is holding back Cashman from dumping them off for a bat? I’m not talking players. A literal bat.
Maybe I’m being too harsh, but the fact remains that the Yankees are not a better team with Joba and Hughes on the roster than they are with them off it. Now I have no specific players I would target, which may be where my argument falls a bit flat, but there has to be a match somewhere. There always is, if the Yankees want one. It would be bittersweet to trade Joba, and especially Hughes, but giving up on these guys in a trade would be a signal to me that the Yanks are not by any means ready to surrender their AL East crown, which is still very much in reach with the right reinforcements.
Get to work Cash. You too Joba and Phil.
Game 66 Lineup: Yankees @ Athletics
Can the Yankees take at least ONE of these games? Please? Anyway, here’s the lineup.
Brett Gardner CF
Jayson Nix SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Travis Hafner DH
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Chris Stewart C
Yanks have missed the boat with talented IFAs
The IFA market is where the Yanks can find high upside talents like Yasiel Puig
Anyone watching Sportscenter for the last week or so has seen Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig put on a show, cracking opposite field HRs and gunning runners out from RF. He has jump-started the anemic Dodgers offense and energized their fan base while looking like a young Bo Jackson on the field. Watching Puig and being reminded of fellow Cuban OF Yoenis Cespedes while playing the A’s tonight, I couldn’t help but cringe when thinking that both of these talents were available to the Yankees a little more than a year ago. At a time when the Yankees offense is putrid and their corner OFs are the worst in baseball it is very frustrating
Puig was one of 3 talented Cuban OFs who were available to the highest bidder in 2012. Cespedes and highly regarded Cubs prospect Jorge Soler were the other 2. Many of us fans thought the Yankees would sign at least one of them and it’s beginning to look like they made a big mistake by passing on these talents. Under Brian Cashman’s leadership, the Yankees have become extremely conservative on the International Free Agent market. After being burned by the signings of Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa, the team has refused to spend significant money on any IFA. In an interview this winter with Drew Voros, Cashman said. “We have learned over time to be very conservative and cautious in acquiring pitching talent from Japan, for instance. It’s a different game there”
Cashman has been applying that conservative approach to all IFAs, signing only a few low-priced players like Adonis Garcia and Ronnier Mustelier. While it’s natural to be conservative, it seems the team has become gun-shy and is more afraid of making a mistake. When you have the largest payroll in MLB, you can afford to take some risks on high-upside talents. While it’s true you cannot expect success in Japan, Cuba, Korea or any other league to equate to success in MLB, talent plays anywhere. And that is where the Yankees are missing the boat. If a 20-yr old LHP in the U.S. was consistently throwing 98-100 MPH or when a trio of young OFs are displaying 4 out of 5 plus tools or a 6’5′ 225 pitcher is throwing 3 plus MLB pitches with great command and poise, you have to get involved! The Yanks let all of the above players pass them by when all they would cost was money….no draft picks, no players in trade. Where else can the Yankees obtain talent like that? The answer is no where. While I think the Yanks did well in this year’s amateur draft, they never have access to elite amateur talent picking at the end of the first round and the financial restraints put on them in the new CBA when it comes to signing amateur foreigners, they are going to have trouble finding high-end talent there also. Well, no problem, the Yankees have always just been able to buy Free Agents at the Major League level, right? Well that window has been closing also. Teams are locking up their young talented players before they become FAs and the small number of big talents that do hit the open market are able to command huge salaries since so many teams have money to spend.
The Yankees MUST become players on the IFA market again. They are paying $27 Million for washed up Vernon Wells and Ichiro to play LF and RF this year and next – approximately $6.5M per yr for each of them. Meanwhile, 22-yr old stud Yasiel Puig signed with LA for $6 Million a year for 7 years and the A’s 27-yr old slugging OF Yoenis Cespedes (36 HRs and .843 OPS in 181 games) is earning $9M per season over 4 years. And they aren’t the only IFA players doing well. Japanese OF Norichi Aoki had a strong year for Milwaukee last season hitting .288 with 10 HRs and 30 SBs and is hitting .300 with a .375 OBP this season while earning just $1.25 M per yr (plus a $2.5M posting fee for his rights). These are just some IFA OFs who were signed in the last year or2 but there are other IFAs all over MLB from Shin-Soo-Choo to Dayan Viciedo to Alexi Ramirez, etc.
There has also been a wave of talented foreign pitchers doing well in MLB the last year or 2 also. The 100-MPH lefty I mentioned of course is Reds closer Aroldis Chapman who has a 15.4 K/9. Texas Ace Yu Darvish was a guy I thought the Yanks should have been all over. He’s a true #1 type starter in his prime at just 26 and signed for the extremely reasonable 6 years @ $56M. An ace pitcher hitting the FA market would get nearly triple that. And make no mistake about it, Darvish is an Ace. He’s 7-2 with a 2.75 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and a 12.0 K/9 pitching in the offensive haven of Texas. And he’s not alone as a front-end starter, Korean LHP Ryu-Hyu Jin is 6-2 with a 2.89 era in his first year for the Dodgers, Japanese RHP Hisashi Iwakuma is 7-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 0.81 WHIP for Seattle in his 2nd season and 27-yr old Taiwanese LHP Wei-Yin Chen has been Baltimore’s best starter the last year and a half.
It’s time for the Yankees to dive back in to the IFA waters. George Steinbrenner was a trailblazer who was all over talented IFAs. While it worked brilliantly with Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez and Hideki Matsui, the failures of Irabu and Igawa seem to have the Yankee brass afraid today. It is poor reasoning to write off all big-ticket IFAs because of a couple of failures. This is the last market where the Yankees money can be used to acquire high-end talent. Amateur IFAs are subject to spending limits and penalties in the CBA but for veteran IFAs 23 and older, it’s still an open market and one which the Yankees must begin to capitalize on or they will have to continue to spend their money on the veteran has-beens like Wells and Ichiro.
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