Blog Archives
Morning Bits: Playoff roster, Nova, Hughes & more
Good morning all. The Yankees have now lost 7 out of 10. The season is full of peaks and valleys and this by far is one of the valley’s. The Yankees have had many peaks in the season though as they are still up 5.5 games on Baltimore. The Yankees could use a win this afternoon with Hughes on the mound facing Britton. Game time is for 1:05PM EST.
Enjoy the day and the game. Now for some links….
– Mike Mazzeo of ESPN NY looks into the Yankees playoff roster.
– Andrew Marchand of ESPN NY has a piece on how Girardi & Nova disagree on last night’s outing.
– Justin Albers of mlb.com has today’s pregame story has Hughes looks to play the role of stopper.
– Zach Schonburn of the NY Times writes with no trade help for the rotation, Nova has his worst start.
– John Harper of The Daily News has an article about how Cashman made the right move by passing on Dempster.
– The Tampa Yankees won 6-4 Yesterday click the link to read the recap.
– The Trenton Thunder was 2-1 as Zolio Almonte homered.
Nix carries Yankees to series win with 5-2 victory over Mariners
For the first 7 innings, the Yankees were looking at a 1-6 roadtrip after getting swept by the Athletics and almost giving the Mariners a series win. Then came Jayson Nix as the Yankees were able to claw their way back to the game with a 5-2 victory over the Mariners.
It was a tight ball game for the Yankees as they had a 2-1 deficit. The only run the Yankees scored at that point was a home run by Derek Jeter, but when the Yankees got to the 8th inning, everything changed. Derek Jeter was hit by pitch to start the rally and at the end of the rally was Jayson Nix. The bases were loaded for the Yankees when Nix pinch hit for Raul Ibanez and delievered a 3 run double to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead. Russell Martin scored the 5th and final run after Eric Chavez was intentionally walked.
Ivan Nova wasn’t as sharp as usual but he lasted to the 6th inning giving up 2 runs on 2 hits.
Tomorrow is a Yankees off-day and on Friday, the Yankees will take on the Boston Red Sox for the weekend series.
Martin’s 2 errors costs Yanks as they fall to Rays 7-4
Yesterday it was Mark Teixeira’s error that cost the game. Tonight it was Russell Martin and his 2 errors that cost the Yankees the game as they fell to the Rays 7-4.
Ivan Nova started the game for the Yankees, but he wasn’t at his sharpest giving up 6 runs (3 were earned) in 6 innings plus. 3 of the runs should not have scored but Russell Martin botched a throw home by Dewayne Wise in the 3rd which helped the Rays tie the game. Later in the 7th inning, Martin threw a ball into center field which allowed another run to score. Not only has Martin been dismal at the plate but his defense was off tonight as well.
Chad Qualls allowed a run of his own to score in the 7th inning which led to the Yankees falling behind to the Rays. The Yankees originally had given Nova a 3 run lead after the first two innings on Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano RBI doubles and a Dewayne Wise HR. The 4th run scored on an Eric Chavez double.
Tomorrow the Yankees play an afternoon game at 3:10pm where it’s the battle of the David’s. David Price will go for the Tampa Bay Rays and David Phelps will go for the Yankees in hopes to prevent the Rays from sweeping the Yankees.
Yankees Report Card: June
Here’s a new monthly article I like to call the Yankees Report Card. Every month based on the Yankees performances (pitchers included), I will give them a letter grade from A-F and explain why they got the grade they deserved. If there is a grade that you might not agree with, place the grade that you would have given a player down in the comment section below. All stats are as of June 26.
Derek Jeter (B): Derek Jeter’s bat hasn’t been as hot as it was in April & May since his average is .240 in the month of June. However, Jeter hit 2 home runs in the month of June (He’s not a HR hitter so it’s remarkable) and he has 7 RBI’s. It also helps that he kept his average over .300 for the past 3 months. A downside as to why Jeter didn’t get a higher grade? He struck out 17 times.
Curtis Granderson (B-): Curtis Granderson’s average for June is .211, but of course we all know Curtis Granderson isn’t hitting for average. In the month of June, Granderson hit 5 home runs, drove in 14 RBI’s and walked 13 times in the month of June. Granderson’s strikeouts are however a little outrageous. He struck out 29 times in June which brings his total for the season so far to 86.
Mark Teixeira (B): Again, it looks as if Mark Teixeira isn’t hitting for average since he’s batting .241 in the month of June. Instead Tex is hitting for power and RBI’s. Although he’s only hit 3 HR’s, he’s driven in 13 runs and walked 13 times. He also doesn’t struck out a lot since he’s only done it 14 times. Teixeira also has been hitting with RISP lately which was why I bumped his average from a B- (which was his original grade) to a B.
Alex Rodriguez (B): Alex Rodriguez hit only .225 in the month of June, but he hit 6 HR’s, drove in 15 runs and walked 11 times. Although A-Rod is looking a little hotter at the plate, June wasn’t his best month. May was. If he keeps hitting home runs that help win games then he’ll continue to pass on his report card.
Robinson Cano (A): Robinson Cano’s bat in the month of June is “muy caliente”. After a slow start to the season, Cano is batting .325 in the month of June while also hitting 9 HR’s, driving in 16 RBI’s and walking 12 times. It seems to me with the 9 HR’s that Cano is hitting, he’s practicing for the Home Run Derby. Well then by all means, you don’t need the practice, but keep hitting them anyway Robbie. Chicks dig the long ball.
Nick Swisher (A): June has been Nick Swisher’s best month by far with a .338 average. Swisher hit 4 HR’s, drove in 14 RBI’s and walked 10 times. Not only that, but Swisher has been making great plays in the outfield. Swisher makes watching him play in right field fun, and not only that but you can’t help but get a smile on your face just by watching Swisher play with a smile on his face.
Raul Ibanez (C-): In the month of June, Raul Ibanez has seemed to have faltered a bit after having a good April and May. In June, Ibanez is hitting .169 with 2 HR’s & 7 RBI’s. He also has only walked once. The good we can take away from this is that he only struck out 8 times. That’s something, right?
Russell Martin (D+): Well, June has been Martin’s best month so far–but the numbers are still pretty bad. Martin’s batting .217 in June with 4 HR’s & 9 RBI’s. The only reason he doesn’t get lower than a D+ is because he knows how to call games, but hitting the baseball is just as important as calling a game Russell. Maybe July will be your month?
Andruw Jones (D+): Andruw Jones hasn’t played a lot in June–but that’s no excuse for doing almost absolutely nothing at the plate. Jones only hit 2 HR’s & drove in 4 runs in 34 at-bats. His average is also at .206. He doesn’t get an F however because he does do well in the outfield when he’s in there but seriously Andruw, where’s the power?
Chris Stewart (B): Chris Stewart has 8 at-bats less than Andruw Jones and he has been able to do more with his at-bats. Stewart is batting .306 in June and has driven in 4 RBI’s but don’t expect the ball to go out of the park with him. He also is known for calling great games and his defense is good (I know he made a mistake in the Mets series finale game but come on, everyone makes mistakes). Stewart always does something when he plays which is probably why Cashman and Girardi thought it made most sense to go to him as a backup catcher. Well, wherever you got him from, don’t return him. He’s awesome.
Jayson Nix (B-): Nix hasn’t gotten a lot of at-bats in the month of June, but he has been able to get on base with a .263 average in June. Nix has no homers or RBI’s but he’s a bench player so it’s understandable. Whatever you’re doing to get on base Nix, don’t stop.
Eric Chavez (B): Eric Chavez is another one of those bench guys that is always doing something amazing (when he’s not injured). Chavez has a .294 average in June with 2 HR’s & 4 RBI’s but what really makes him deserve a B is that he’s a great defender at third base when Alex Rodriguez is out of the lineup. Of course did you expect anything less from Chavez? Chavez is a 6 time Gold Glover after all.
Dewayne Wise (B-): June has been Dewayne Wise’s best month so far with a .286 average. It also helps that he got his first home run of the season in the month of June–and how it was a 3 run homer.
CC Sabathia (B+): CC Sabathia is the Yankees ace but he has looked like he doesn’t have great command of his pitches. In 5 starts he’s 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA with 36 strikeouts. It however amazes me when CC doesn’t have his best stuff and then he ends up going into the 7th inning or so which gives the bullpen a break.
Hiroki Kuroda (A-): Hiroki Kuroda in the month of June has been flat out terrific. He’s 3-1 with a 2.38 ERA with 32 strikeouts. It’s also Kuroda’s first winning month of the season. Kuroda was 2-3 in both April and in May. Impressive, huh?
Ivan Nova (A+): Ivan Nova in the month of June has been flat-out dominant. He’s 3-0 with a 1.27 ERA with 22 strikeouts. He’s also 9-2 on the season which is very impressive. Who said that Nova was going to have a Sophmore slump?
Andy Pettitte (B+): Andy has sure been good in the month of June, which is why his record is 1-1 with a 3.08 ERA. Both of Pettitte’s starts were good, even the loss (if you take out the 5 run 1st inning from the Mets). Andy, are you sure you’re 40, because you’re pitching like an All-Star.
Phil Hughes (B+): Phil Hughes has been great for the Yankees in June going 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA. The only thing that stopped him from getting an A-? He’s given up 7 HR’s in the month of June. Other than that, he looks like the Phil Hughes of 2010!
Cody Eppley (B+): Cody Eppley has been one of the biggest surprises in the Yankees bullpen only giving up 5 earned runs in 18 innings which results in a 2.50 ERA. He’s also held opponents to a .234 average against him. It helps to have a right handed side armer, doesn’t it?
Clay Rapada (A+): Clay Rapada has emerged from the Yankees bullpen and has became one of my favorite pitchers to watch. He is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA and holds batters to a .071 average against him! I had been rooting for Rapada to make the team since Spring Training so it makes me glad that he has a chance to show Joe (Girardi) what he can do.
Freddy Garcia (A): Ever since being placed in the Yankees bullpen, Freddy Garcia has been dominant. He’s 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA and holds batters to a .190 average. I’m still a little iffy about Garcia though since I don’t fully trust him, but he’s been doing well so I tip my cap to him.
Boone Logan (A): Boone Logan is in Clay Rapada territory meaning that he has one of the lowest numbers in the bullpen. He’s 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA while holding batters to a .107 ERA. This bullpen just gets better and better, doesn’t it?
David Robertson (A-): David Robertson was on the DL for a bit but when he came back he was a little rusty in his first outing which explains the 2.45 ERA in June, but since then he’s been Houdini. Stranding batters and striking them is all apart of Robertson’s description. Girardi has been cautious of Robertson since he is just coming back from an oblique injury, but he’s having another great year.
Rafael Soriano (A+): Can anyone say ‘lights out’? Soriano is having a ridiculous month with a 0.96 ERA in the closer role. It makes the Mariano Rivera season ending injury a little less painful when you have someone who is already a closer in the bullpen. Soriano, keep it up.
Cory Wade (F): Cory Wade in June is very baffling. The guy has an 11.05 ERA and seems to be having trouble straightening himself out. Well, Wade better get it together soon or he might be wearing a new uniform in the Yankees organization. Maybe a Scranton Wilkes-Barre uniform?
Morning Bits: Nova, RISP, Chamberlain
Good morning everyone! Well, aside from the first inning Andy Pettitte pitched well last night. Unfortunately the Yankees still cannot hit with RISP and are home run happy. Hopefully tonight’s game is better. Onto the morning links!
– Ivan Nova is slated to pitch tonight for the Yankees…but after blowing a game last year and then being sent to Triple AAA the next day, Nova “no like the Mets no more”. Those are his words–not mine.
– The New York Yankees are of course a great team but of course there is one obvious problem–they can’t hit with runners in scoring position!
– Joba Chamberlain was in a minor traffic accident but he wasn’t hurt. Chamberlain was on the way to the Tampa complex to work out when his car was hit from behind. Good news is Chamberlain is throwing live BP on Monday, the first time since recovering from Tommy John Surgery & an ankle injury.
What would help this team at trading deadline?
What will Cashman look to add?
Baseball officials often say they like to break the season down into one- thirds. The first third is to evaluate your team’s strengths and weaknesses. The middle third is to look for solutions to your problems and to make changes – and the final third is to make a push with the new/improved team you’ve assembled. The Yankees are in that middle phase now and have gone through a lot in the season so far. They struggled for the first 42 games and had a .500 record on May 21st. They then went on an amazing 20-4 run that just ended with back to back losses to Atlanta. Now that we’ve seen their worst and their best baseball, I think it’s a good time to evaluate what this team needs to make a push for their 28th Championship.
Bullpen
The pen has been their strong point all season. Even after surviving the loss of 2 All-Stars in Mariano Rivera and David Robertson they still have kept it together. They are 3rd in MLB in bullpen ERA with a 2.73 mark and have blown a league-low 4 saves in 24 opportunities. With Rafael Soriano looking comfortable in the Closer’s role and Robertson returning healthy, the Yankee bullpen is set. Boone Logan & Clay Rapada have been absolutely excellent vs LH hitters and Cody Eppley and Cory Wade are serviceable in their roles. There may even be a chance that Joba and/or David Aardsma come back at some point this year so there is no need for them to look outside of the organization for relief help.
Rotation
The starters have been pitching tremendously in June and on the season they are 5th in the A.L. with a 4.14 ERA. The one disturbing trend is that they lead all of baseball in HRs allowed with 65 and are 27th overall in opposing hitters OPS at .780. However, all the starters are pitching better as of late and right now the top 3 of C.C., Andy Pettitte & Ivan Nova look pretty strong. Kuroda is solid as a #4 and Hughes is OK as the #5 man. So the question is, can anyone out there help them?
Read the rest of this entry
Yanks on Cloud 9 as they sweep the Nationals 4-1
Ivan Nova pitched 1 run ball in 7.2 innings as the Yankees won their 9th straight against the Nationals
Coming into this afternoon’s game the Yankees were 8 in a row and were going for the series sweep with Ivan Nova in tow. In the end, Ivan Nova got the job done and the Yankees swept another series by the score of 4-1.
The Yankees were the first ones to strike when Mark Teixeira hit a SAC fly to plate Derek Jeter against the Nationals starter Edwin Jackson. Curtis Granderson added to the barrage by hitting a solo shot in the 5th inning, his 21st of the season. Robinson Cano added to that with his 12th HR of the season in the 7th inning and Mark Teixeira scored on a wild pitch which capped the offense for the first place Yankees.
Ivan Nova continues to be on a hot streak by pitching 7.2 IP giving up 1 run on 7 hits with 4 strikeouts while allowing one HR. Boone Logan pitched the final out of the 8th inning and Rafael Soriano got his 13th save of the season by pitching a scoreless inning.
The Yankees come home and take on the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium. CC Sabathia is slated to pitch tomorrow (and Russell Martin is slated to catch CC since Chris Stewart caught Ivan Nova today).
Say No To Garza
Now that the MLB Draft is over teams will really start to focus on their plans for the trade deadline. The first major rumor for the Yankees this year was that they are interested in Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza. Garza is a familiar name after pitching 3 years for the Rays. Garza had a breakout season last year, but has struggled this season going 2-4, with a 3.99 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 8.4 K/9. Garza may be the best pitcher on the market this year, but may be one the Yankees would be wise to avoid.
It may too early to write this article since a lot can happen between now and the trading deadline. You do not know who will be pitching well or who will be injured. However, if the deadline was today I would avoid Garza and probably would avoid him on the real trade deadline as well. The recent surge of the Yankees has been led by the starting pitching. C.C. Sabathia has not been quite as dominant as he usually is, but he is nobody to worry about. Andy Pettitte has been the ultimate stabilizing force for the rotation. Even the most optimistic Yankees fan could not have predicted how dominant he has been. Hiroki Kuroda has not gotten enough credit for the job he has done. Kuroda is 5-6 on the year, with a 3.46 ERA, and a 1.25 WHIP. Also, he has allowed 3 runs or less in 9 out of his 12 starts. Kuroda is a solid #3 starter even in the AL East. Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova are wild cards, but have shown signs that they are ready to pitch to their talent level. Hughes has allowed 2 runs or less in 4 of his last 5 starts. Nova showed what he can do last season and fired a gem Wednesday against the Rays, so maybe that will get him back on track. The 2009 Yankees won the World Series with C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte as their 2 best pitchers, so they proved that they can win with that combo already. I am confident that Kuroda, Hughes, or Nova are all capable of being a solid # 3 pitcher and that one of them will step up.
Matt Garza is not an ace pitcher, but Theo Epstein may try to sell him as one. The Cubs are in desperate need of young players and will try to get a haul for Garza. They overpaid for Garza to begin with and will want to recoup that talent. Garza was outstanding last season going 10-10, with a 3.32 ERA, a 2.25 WHIP, a 2.95 FIP, and 9.0 K/9. However, that season is an anomaly when you compare it to his career stats and it’s not a coincidence that his breakout season came in his first season in the NL. Garza was a nice #3 pitcher for the Rays in the AL East, but was never a #1 or 2, as he averaged a 3.85 ERA over his 3 years in Tampa. Garza also struck out less people in Tampa than in Chicago, as he struck only 7.01 batters per 9 innings. In addition to that Garza’s FIP was only 4.24 in Tampa. Another warning sign to me is that this would be the third time in his career that Garza would be traded. The Twins, Rays, and now perhaps the Cubs felt he was expendable so why should the Yankees pay a big package for him? Very few great players get traded 3 times in a career. Maybe it was because he was with two small market teams who wanted to get something for him, but it may not be a coincidence that the Twins and Rays traded him.
A lot of the improvements Garza made last season have not been there this season. This combined with only 1 stellar season in the NL leads me to believe he is only a #3 pitcher in the AL East. The Yankees may need to trade for a starter at the deadline and Garza may very well be the best one available, but that does not mean they should target him. Trading is about value and I have a feeling Theo Epstein wants a lot more than what Garza is worth. The Yankees could probably trade for somebody for less who would do almost as well, or just stick with what they have. I don’t think Kuroda is much worse than Garza if he is worse at all. The Yankees farm system has taken a slight hit this year so they really can’t afford to give away any big pieces in the wrong deal. The Yankees should not be buying Matt Garza as a pitcher who will put them over the top.
Rotation jelling at the right time
Andy’s perfect balance & mechanics have been a big boost
Things have certainly changed for this Yankees team over the last 2 weeks. On May 21st, they had just been shutout by the lowly Kansas City Royals 6-0 to drop them to 21-21 and into a tie for the basement in the AL East – 5.5 games out of 1st. The team had just gone 1-6 over their last 7 and the bats were failing at a miserable rate, having scored 2 runs or less in 5 of those 7. But since then, the team has picked things up. Thanks to 5 straight wins over KC and the Oakland Triple A’s, they have found their stride and have won 10 of their last 13 to put them a half game behind Baltimore for 1st place.
So what has changed in the last 13 games to propel this team? Well the offense has picked it up scoring 5.4 runs per game but it has been the pitching staff that has done the heavy lifting. They have an American League-best 3.06 ERA with 10 Quality Starts. Except for Phil Hughes’ clunker in L.A., the starters have pitched at least 6 innings of every game which is a huge lift to a bullpen that has lost its top 2 arms.
Below are the numbers for the starters over that period and it seems everyone is pitching well at the same time. I believe Pettitte has been a big stabilizing factor for this team and the rest of the staff. It seems both Nova and Hughes have begun to work faster, be more aggressive and concentrate more from pitch to pitch in their last few outings – all Pettitte trademarks. It could be just a coincidence but I think Andy’s presence and value to the team goes beyond taking the mound every 5th day.
With the rotation throwing well, if some of the bats start to heat up this team can go on one of their typical hot summers and begin to build a lead in the division that no one seems able to run away with. The rotation and pen seem strong and if Cashman wants to make a deal, he may look to add something to the offense. A lot will be learned in the near future with David Robertson & Brett Gardner attempting comebacks. If Brett has another setback, this team will definitely need another OF. What do you all think of this team? Is the turnabout in the last 13 games for real and what would you add at the trade deadline, if anything?
|
W-L
|
ERA
|
IP
|
H
|
ER
|
HR
|
BB
|
K
|
|
|
Kuroda
|
1-0
|
1.20
|
15
|
11
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
7
|
|
Pettitte
|
2-1
|
3.00
|
21.1
|
18
|
7
|
4
|
3
|
21
|
|
Sabathia
|
2-0
|
3.21
|
14
|
15
|
5
|
2
|
4
|
9
|
|
Nova
|
3-0
|
3.74
|
21.2
|
18
|
9
|
3
|
5
|
11
|
|
Hughes
|
2-1
|
4.43
|
20.1
|
20
|
10
|
3
|
5
|
18
|
|
10-2
|
3.22
|
92.1
|
82
|
33
|
13
|
19
|
66
|
|
Pettitte K’s 10 as Yanks blank Rays 7-0
Coming into tonight’s game, the Yankees and the Rays plan to compete for one thing. That one thing is the lead for the AL East. The Yankees turned to Andy Pettitte to close the gap between third and first place and sure enough, Pettitte delivered as the Yanks blanked the Rays 7-0.
Andy Pettitte was his usual self going 7 1/3 innings giving up 0 runs, 2 hits and 10K’s, the most strikeouts Pettitte had since throwing 10K’s on July 6, 2003 vs. the Boston Red Sox. Freddy Garcia (who hasn’t pitched in exactly 2 weeks) went 1 2/3 giving up 0 runs on 2 hits and 1 K.
The Yankees were aided by 3 Tampa Bay errors which led to 2 of the 7 runs. Russell Martin hit a grand slam as apart of his 3 hit day which was just enough to seal the win.
Tomorrow Ivan Nova goes to the mound vs. Alex Cobb for the Rays. The game is on YES and first pitch is at 7:05pm.
NOTE: With the Tampa Bay loss and the Baltimore Orioles win, the Yankees are only a half game back behind both teams for first place. Let’s see what the Yankees do tomorrow.
Morning Bits: Igarashi, Swisher, Hughes
Good morning everyone. Andy Pettitte was unable to win his first game on the road last night. The Yankees look to avoid the sweep tonight with Ivan Nova on the mound. Here are your morning links…
— The Yankees have claimed former Mets’ reliever Ryota Igarashi off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.
— Marc Carig discusses Nick Swisher’s unluckiness in last night’s game, along with some other miscellaneous items.
— Via the NY Daily News, Joe Girardi is unwilling to give up on Phil Hughes as a starter in the Yanks’ rotation.
Have a nice day!
Nova K’s 12 but Yanks fall short in 6-5 loss to Reds
If you didn’t watch today’s Yankees game, you might want to find a way to watch it again. Yes, the Yankees didn’t win, but today’s game was one of the oddest game of the year. Why I mention that? Ivan Nova gave up 5 runs, but still managed to strike out 12 of the Reds hitters.
The big blow came in the 5th inning when Joey Votto hit a 3 run homer off of Nova. The Yankees tried to rally in the 9th after Raul Ibanez hit a double, Nick Swisher doubled to bring him home and Jayson Nix brought Swisher home. The game ended with the same problem that the Yankees have had all season: not being able to hit with runners in scoring position. Curtis Granderson grounded out with a runner at third base.
Bats are quiet as Yankees drop 3rd straight with 4-1 loss to Blue Jays
The issue tonight for the Yankees wasn’t Phil Hughes. As a matter of fact, Phil Hughes pitched very well for the Yankees giving up 2 runs in 5.1 IP. The problem was the Yankees weren’t able to get any run support for Hughes which led to the Yankees dropping their third straight game 4-1.
The only run the Yankees received was on a double by Robinson Cano that plated Curtis Granderson in the first inning. Afterwards, the Yankees were unable to hit with runners in scoring position. Key players that the Yankees have continue to struggle such as Russell Martin and Mark Teixeira. Teixeira is still battling a cough that he’s had since the season began and Russell Martin is hitting well below .200.
It comes time where it’s time to think of the Yankees should make a change to the lineup, but knowing Girardi he possibly won’t. One thing that was good news was Ivan Nova. Nova threw a bullpen session, got on the mound, threw some pitched and covered first in an attempt to test his ankle. He doesn’t feel the ankle as much as he did when he twisted it in his last outing in Baltimore, but the Yankees will see how he is when it’s time for his start on Saturday.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Yankees are heading home after an abysmal 1-3 road trip. They will greet the Reds who are in town for inter-league play for the weekend. Andy Pettitte will take the mound on Friday night, Ivan Nova is scheduled to start on Saturday however he could still be moved before the game and CC Sabathia will pitch on Sunday.
Morning Bits: Soriano, Staten Island Yankees, Nova, Gary Sanchez
Good morning all tough game to watch last night. To me what’s good about baseball is we have another game today to wash out the memories from last night. Enjoy the day.
Now onto the links…
– Marc Carig of The Star Ledger says the Yankees have enough pieces for building the bridge to Soriano.
– Carig also writes that Ivan Nova is making progress and could be ready for his next start.
– The Daily News reports of the new ownership for the Staten Island Yankees.
– Here is the recap of last nights Empire State Yankees (Scranton Wilkes) AAA game.
– Gary Sanchez had a big day yesterday. Here is the recap.
Nova’s Quietly Bad Season Thus Far
Ivan Nova has quietly been pretty awful for the Yankees this season. He has been getting a pass because of the run support the Yankees have given him and the good grace he built over last year. On the year Nova is 4-1, with a 5.44 ERA, and a 1.67 WHIP. Nova has been every bit as bad as Phil Hughes but has managed to escape the criticism that Hughes has gotten. Hughes is trending upwards and Nova downwards so maybe that will soon change.
In addition to the reasons I gave prior I think Nova does not get the criticism Hughes does because Hughes was the higher rated prospect with more expectations, and he has frustrated Yankees fans over the last few years now. I will start off with the few positive things I can say about Nova that you hope he can build on. His 8.37 K/9 compared to his 2.93 BB/9 is very good and a big improvement over last year. Also, his stuff looks the same if not better. His fastball velocity has increased and his slider has continued to develop into an out pitch, as it has a 20.91 whiff %. Also Nova’s xFIP is 3.57 which suggests he has gotten a little bit unlucky. However, this has not translated into good results as Nova has gotten bombed this year.
They’re some pretty ugly numbers for Nova this year. Nova’s batting line against this year is .326/.381/.623/1.004, which is pretty egregious. If a hitter has a career OPS of 1.003 they are a no doubt 1st ballot Hall of Famer. In fact the only 8 players in MLB history who have a career OPS higher than what Nova is giving up this year are Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Barry Bonds, Jimmy Foxx, Albert Pujols, Hank Greenberg, and Roger Hornsby. Also, Nova has a ridiculously bad HR/FB rate of 18.4% and a BABIP of .380. Those numbers are so high that you know there is no way they can stay that high. Last year Nova’s HR/FB rate was 8.4% and his BABIP was .283. Part of the reason Nova is giving up more home runs is obviously because he is allowing more fly balls than he did last year. Nova’s fly ball percentage this year is 35.5% compared to 28.9% last year and his ground ball % is 45.7% this year compared to 52.7% last year. Keeping the ball on the ground was a key element to Nova’s success last year that is missing this year.
Nova’s fastball has been getting killed at an alarming rate this year. Fangraphs has Nova’s fastball as 10.2 runs below average, which makes it the worst fastball in MLB this year. (Click Fan Graphs to see the chart) Yes it is even raked worse than Jamie Moyer’s Stone Age fastball. Also Nova’s whiff percentage on his fastball is a mere 2.37 %. Nova’s velocity is better than last year so the issue must be the location. Here is a graph of Nova’s fastball locations this year courtesy of The River Ave Blues. You can click on the graph to make it larger if you want to.
As you can see a lot of the fastballs are up in the zone and when you combine that with home run friendly Yankee Stadium it is not good. To get back to the pitcher he was in 2011 Nova will have to pitch down in the zone better. I am not saying this is going to last forever or it can’t be fixed. I am saying he is going to need to improve a lot to live up to the expectations the Yankees had for him this year. As I mentioned earlier Nova’s stuff has looked good, so he has the ability to turn it around. Another thing Nova has going for him that you cannot see in any of these stats is his mental toughness. Nova has shown from his first MLB start when he drilled Jose Bautista that nobody will intimidate him. Nova has continued to battle this year and has gotten out of some really though situations. Unfortunately, if he cannot locate his fastball his mental toughness may not matter. With the injuries to the bullpen the Yankees need length and effectiveness from their starters badly. Hopefully he can regain his form from last year and become the #3 starter that was expected out of him.
Yanks bats fall silent as Orioles defeat Yankees 5-2
The Yankees bats looked a bit off all night long. Pop-ups were hit, liners right back to the pitcher and of course, the infamous double play ball. CC Sabathia wasn’t as sharp as he usually was in his past outing, giving up 4 runs to the Orioles. The only 2 Yankees runs that occurred were a 2 run HR from Curtis Granderson that only left the Yankees trailing by 2, until Freddy Garcia gave up a run on a pass ball which sealed the Yankees fate.
The big news of the day however was David Robertson. Robertson joins his friends Mo & Gardner on the disabled list with a right oblique strain. Robertson went to New York for the MRI before joining his teammates in Baltimore. Joe Girardi says that Robertson will not pick up a baseball for 7-10 days since they do not want to aggravate the injury. Here’s a little helpful hint Joe: let’s not rush him back. Yankees tried to rush back Brett Gardner but Gardner ended up staying on the DL longer.
The Yankees have a gigantic gap in their bullpen with Rafael Soriano taking over the 9th but no one in the 7th or 8th inning roles. If Ivan Nova (who is out with a sprained ankle) can’t make his start, there would be no telling who gets the ball. David Phelps might be needed in the bullpen due to Robertson’s injury.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Yankees pack up and head to Canada where they will play a 2 game set with the Toronto Blue Jays. Hiroki Kuroda should already be in Toronto since he was sent way ahead with the rest of the team. Kuroda will start tomorrow’s game.
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