It's still almost seven hours before the scheduled game time Tuesday evening, and the Yankees have acknowledged the horrific weather forecast for the New York area this evening. Rather than inconvenience their fans and employees, the Yankees called off the game many hours before stadium employees would have had to leave for work. Kudos to them.
So the teams will play a day-night, split-admission doubleheader Wednesday (the weather's supposed to be fine), with the first game at noon CT, the second game at 6 p.m. CT. I don't have any info on the pitching matchups, though I suspect they'll stay the same.
With no Cubs game tonight, if any of you would like another game thread for the Cubs' minor-league teams posted this evening, let me know in the comments here and I'll post one.
...yeah. Due to the weather, the Yankees have already announced that tonight's game will be rained out and that they will play a doubleheader tomorrow against the Cubs:
Yanks-Cubs postponed due to weather, will be done as day-night doubleheader Wednesday. (1:05/7:05)
Hopefully they will be able to get it in since the Cubs won't visit Yankee Stadium again this year. The forecast seems to be sunny for tomorrow though, so they should be fine unless the bees invade Yankee Stadium. Tonight's ceremonies honoring Nelson Mandela will also be postponed to tomorrow. The pitching matchups for tomorrow will be Jason Hammel vs. Masahiro Tanaka and Travis Wood vs. Michael Pineda. The Yankees' two most exciting pitchers taking the mound in one day? I'll sign up for that.
In other news, the Yankees will make some call-ups to address the Francisco Cervelli injury and add bench depth:
Yankees will still make roster additions to replace Cervelli and Greene. Expected to add C John Ryan Murphy and IF Scott Sizemore.
Jason reported the Murphy move last night, so that's no surprise. It's good that they're giving Murphy, the more legitimate catching prospect over Austin Romine, time in the major leagues as Brian McCann's backup catcher. It's not going to stunt his development to hang around in the pros for a little while until Cervelli's hopeful return in 4-6 weeks. He's already proved himself to be a capable hitter and receiver at Triple-A, so it seems like he's ready for a new challenge anyway. He was off to a slow 5-for-26 start in Scranton this year, though he's hit three doubles and been better since starting the year 0-for-10. He'll probably start one of the game tomorrow since it's a doubleheader and McCann really doesn't need to play 18 innings behind the plate in one day.
The Yankees previously had pitcher Shane Greene up from Scranton to provide bullpen relief, but he wasn't needed in his week in the Bronx. It's kind of a bummer that he never got to make his MLB debut; hopefully he can find his way back to the pros. The Yankees were rolling with a 13-man bullpen, and that was a luxury they couldn't afford with Cervelli going down and Brian Roberts limited by an injury. Sizemore can't play first base, but Joe Girardi said after Mark Teixeira's injury that Dean Anna or Yangervis Solarte could be used there if needed. He just chose to use Cervelli as his first base backup. If Kelly Johnson gets hurt, needs a day off, or Girardi wants to use him away from first base, expect to see Anna or Solarte there.
Hell, they've played a mere combined five professional games at first, so it wouldn't be surprising to hear that Sizemore is taking grounders there, too. Sizemore, who was quite good for Oakland and Detroit in 2011 before getting hurt with ACL tears the last two years, was hitting .344/.436/.500 in his first 10 games in Scranton, an excellent start. Since he had an opt-out clause for May 1st, it's not a shocker to see him called up too. Even though he's not experienced at first base like Russ Canzler is, Teixeira should be ready to return before the end of April, so it would have been kind of silly to call Canzler up only to possibly DFA him in just a couple weeks. If Sizemore looks like he could be a legitimate bench option, then the Yankees could always send Anna or Solarte down once Teixeira returns. To get him on the 40-man roster, they will likely move Brendan Ryan to the 60-day DL due to his nasty spine injury, which will probably keep him away from the majors until the end of May at the earliestmove Cervelli to the 60-day DL. It's kind of strange that Ryan isn't going, but the Yankees' front office has a much better idea of how long it will take Cervelli to recover than me.
One dumb note to report is that the Yankees won't be able to add a 26th man to their doubleheader roster due to this idiotic rule:
Per MLB rules, no 26th player added to rosters for tomorrow's DH because less than 48 hours notice.
The first interleague series of the year begins for the Yankees, as the Chicago Cubs come to the Bronx for two games. They get to face our two bright young starters, Tanaka and Pineda. With this game now postponed, feel free to use it as your open thread for the day.
I am not a fan of interleague play. Nevertheless, it's here to stay. The Cubs have come for just two days. Let's hope Tanaka gets some K's.
4/14/14 Daily Predictions Answers
1.
ATL @ PHI: Winner/Final Score? ATL 9 - PHI 6
2.
TB @ BAL: Winner/Final Score? TB 1 - BAL 7
3.
PIT @ CIN: Winner/Final Score? (Will be determined later on tonight)
4.
WSH @ MIA: Winner/Final Score? WSH 9 - MIA 2
5.
SEA @ TEX: Winner/Final Score? SEA 7 - TEX 1
6.
STL @ MIL: Winner/Final Score? STL 4 - MIL 0
7.
NYM @ ARI: Winner/Final Score? NYM 7 - ARI 3
8.
OAK @ LAA: Winner/Final Score? OAK 3 - LAA 2
9.
COL @ SD: Winner/Final Score? COL 4 - SD 5
The Pirates and Reds game was postponed until later this afternoon, so the winner of yesterday's Daily Non-Yankees Prediction thread will be announced later on tonight. There were a LOT of dingers in that game. Ten in six innings. That's crazy. Now for some new Daily Yankees Prediction questions.
4/16/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions
1.
How many innings does the Yankee starter pitch?
2.
Total number of strikeouts? (From both teams)
3.
Total number of earned runs allowed? (From both teams)
4.
Total number of stolen bases? (From both teams)
5.
How many times do the umpires go to the replay?
6.
How many relief pitchers do the opposing team use?
7.
Name one Yankee you think will hit a home run tonight
8.
Best overall Yankee of the night?
UPDATE: You can feel free to answer these questions now, or just consider them a preview. Another Daily Predictions Thread will be posted tomorrow around 10-11AM before the day game. For now, some Daily Non-Yankees Predictions.
What fictional universe would you love to live in? (From books, TV, movies, etc.)
Favorite non-baseball athlete?
Smoothies: What fruit/vegetable/whatever goes in yours?
If my work schedule was not so crazy this week, I would probably have gone to tonight's game to watch Masahiro Tanaka start. Seeing him pitch live was awesome. However, it's going to be a rainy day here in NYC. Let's hope the Yankees can get this game in. If not, we're looking at a possible double header tomorrow.
Welp.
UPDATE:
Tonight's Cubs-#Yankees game postponed, rescheduled as first game of a separate-admission, day-night doubleheader tomorrow at 1:05pm ET.
A cold night awaits the Blue Jays this evening as they roll into to Minnesota to take on the Twins at 8:10 EST. First-year Twins pitcher Phil Hughes takes on Brandon Morrow in what is expected to be a frigid evening at Target Field. Hughes, a former Yankee, inked a three-year $24 million contract this offseason with Minnesota which seems like a fair deal for both parties. So far this season Hughes has been consistently inconsistent in his first two starts, pitching 10 innings and allowing eight earned runs. As a fly ball pitcher, his success essentially rests in how many balls soar into the Target Field seats and how many fly into his outfielders' mitts.
This is how the Twins are setting up these days, with Joe Mauer now permanently at first base:
That's right, his horrid slider that he threw the most behind his fastball in 2013 has been scrapped and his repertoire is now completely different. Like the tweet says, Hughes has become a predominantly fastball, cutter pitcher only bringing down the velocity when throwing his curveball. This is good news for Jose Bautista and his fellow Blue Jays power hitters who can focus on the fastball and be aggressive with Hughes' more predictable pitch selection:
Hopeful Lineup
This middle infield situation is going to be a rough ride until Jose Reyes returns.
In Sunday night's game against the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli was injured running out an infield ground ball. It would appear that the injury occurred when only the front half of Cervelli's right foot landed on the first base bag. He hobbled awkwardly for a few steps before collapsing to the ground in pain, clutching his leg.
What made the play even more interesting was the fact that it was put under review to see if Cervelli, who was originally called out, was in fact safe on the play. The play was reviewed, the call was overturned, and Cervelli got a fielder's choice RBI that aided the Yankees to a 3-2 win.
The following day, Cervelli was examined by the medical staff and was said to have a grade two injury to his hamstring. He was subsequently placed on the 60-day disabled list and will be available to return June 13th.
Cervelli has started just five games this year, only three of which were behind the plate. Through 17 plate appearances, he was hitting .188/.235/.250 with zero walks and six strikeouts.
The Yankees have recalled John Ryan Murphy to serve as the team's reserve backstop behind starting catcher Brian McCann, who is dealing with bruising and swelling of his right index finger that was injured during the same game. New York also purchased the contract of infielder Scott Sizemore, who will provide valuable depth in the wake of nagging injuries to a few of the team's infielders.
The infield (to no one's surprise) is in shambles, so it's time for reinforcements.
It was incredibly strange that, at one point, the 2013 Yankee infield had Luis Cruz, Eduardo Nunez, and Lyle Overbay (albeit with Robinson Cano). That was disastrous for a time. It's even weirder that the current Yankee infield consists of Kelly Johnson, Yangervis Solarte, Dean Anna, and (soon) Scott Sizemore. While certainly the second lot is much better than the revolving door that was 2013, it's certainly not at all pretty. Solarte has earned his spot on the roster for the time being (162 wRC+) and so has Kelly Johnson (161 wRC+), but these performances cannot be expected to be maintained. A big problem with the construction of the 2013 roster was that players who were serviceable as part-timers became full-time players. This allowed them to tire, to expose their weaknesses, and allowed opposing teams to adjust their pitching and defensive styles.
But even though I'm hoping that this year is different, it's starting to look like much of the same. With Mark Teixeira and Brendan Ryan on the Disabled List, and with Derek Jeter and Brian Roberts listed as day-to-day, the Yankees have virtually no depth in the infield anymore. No one truly expected Jeter to play every day and no one expected Roberts to last long without getting hurt, but it's been just 13 games. As research has shown, the best indicator of future disabled list stints is prior disabled stints, so that means with each injury, the likes of Teixeira, Roberts, and Jeter become even more prone to injuries in the future.
So, what is there to do? I proposed at one point the Yankees try to pawn off one of their many catchers for a little middle-infield help, but either teams thought that the likes of Francisco Cervelli or John Ryan Murphy not good enough a return for their middle-infielders, or the Yankees were just unwilling to trade from their depth. One thing is clear, though--the Yankees will have to go outside of their organization to get middle-infield help. If the Yankees cannot or are unwilling to trade, then there is only one answer: Stephen Drew.
Many across the internet have clamored for the signing of Stephen Drew, but it's becoming more and more apparent how necessary it is with every passing day. Going by current FanGraphs depth chart projections, the Yankees are currently looking at a total of 6.8 fWAR coming out of their infield this season. That's only 0.8 more than Robinson Cano in 2013. Stephen Drew certainly would not completely alleviate that, but it would go a long way towards that end. The biggest improvement is depth. The Yankees did a very good job in the offseason picking up backup infield pieces: Sizemore, Solarte, and Anna, but none of them are really good enough to crack the "starting level' threshold. While some would argue that Drew is not even good enough to crack that, I'd say he's close enough to be worth the money. Steamer, Oliver, and ZiPS projections project Drew to be between 1.5 and 1.8 fWAR over the course of ~140 games, which is right around starting level quality. That would also make him the most competent infielder on the team next to Teixeira. This would allow Anna and Sizemore to remain as competent backup options (I'd hope Solarte would remain in the lineup) that could still hold the fort down in Drew's stead. This addition would probably add approximately one win, marginally speaking, to the current team. And while this wouldn't necessarily guarantee them a playoff spot, it would put them exactly even with the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers in depth chart fWAR projections.
If the Yankees are concerned that their brand depends on a postseason appearance, then the signing of Stephen Drew is very important. Obviously, though, Scott Boras knows this. He knows full well how much the Yankees are in need of an infielder, and he also knows the price the Yankees are always willing to pay when push comes to shove. But even if the Yankees negotiated a two-year contract, they would not only increase their probability of entering the postseason, but would not have to worry about signing a shortstop for the 2015 season. The Yankees have come a long way to putting together a nearly playoff contending team, but they're still not there yet. Stephen Drew would get them closer to that.
If you find yourself in New York City during baseball season and enjoy drinking, there is no better place to cheer on the Cubs than Kelly's sports bar. BCB's Danny Rockett has found a Cubs oasis in the Big Apple.
There are nearly eight and a half million people in New York City, but only one Chicago Cubs bar.
That bar is Kelly's. Situated near the corner of Houston Street on Avenue A in the long-ago gentrified East Village, Kelly's is one of hundreds of bars in this neighborhood once known for its homeless junkie and artist population portrayed in the hit 90s musical RENT. Currently, the area overflows with bridge and tunnel trust-fund types from Long Island and New Jersey on weekends. There is no shortage of sports bars in NYC, or any kind of bar for that matter, but Kelly's uniquely stands out because it is the only Cubs bar in the Big Apple.
As a former resident of Gotham, it was often a lonely row to hoe being a Cubs fan in a city with more baseball championship rings than the stump of a great redwood tree trunk. So on Opening Day 2010, in search of some Cubs camaraderie, I Googled "Cubs Meet Up Group" and found Kelly's. Upon entering the bar, I was happily greeted by blue pinstriped jerseys and Cubs hats. The 25 or so fans differently-employed enough to drink and watch baseball on a weekday, cheered as the Cubs scored three runs in the first inning. However, the jubilation proved to be short lived, as Carlos Zambrano proceeded to meltdown and give up six runs in the bottom half of the inning. The Cubs went on to lose the game 16-5, but it didn't matter. I made a ton of new friends that day and for the first time felt like I had found a Cubs baseball home.
Whenever I found myself downtown during a Cubs game, I'd often pop into Kelly's for arguably the best-poured Guinness in the city and some baseball. There would usually be a smattering of fans around to complain about the Cubs with and always the game, played on sometimes all nine of their TV screens, with sound. Kelly's was an oasis in the epicenter of the Yankee Universe.
Yesterday, in town for a gig and the Yankees/Cubs series, I decided to see what was going on at Kelly's, and find out more about how this Cubs bar came to exist.
This is Gerry.
Gerry is not only a bartender, but also the owner, and the man behind why there is even one Cubs bar in NYC. Over a pint, I asked him how an Irish bar owner in NYC came to be a Cubs fan. He then described to me his first trip to Wrigley Field, and how even though he was not particularly a baseball fan, he became swept up in the energy of Cubs fans and the Wrigleyville bar scene. He went on to say that the Cubs are the team with the most character, so when opening the bar, he decided to make Kelly's a Chicago Cubs bar in the hope of attracting the kind of people he met in Wrigleyville that day. Well, it certainly worked on me as I've been there dozens of times even though I lived on the other end of Manhattan. He even tried to import Old Style, but some stupid local law prevented it. Gerry said he didn't pursue the matter too much just because, in his words, "Old Style is piss."
This is Rob.
Rob is one of the bartenders at Kelly's, pictured here enjoying a post-shift Pabst and a shot. Don't let the Yankees hoodie fool you into thinking he's one of those entitled Yanks fans who jumped on board the championship train in the 90s. Rob's a baseball fan in general, and has loved the Yankees since the best thing about them was Don Mattingly's mustache. He hopes to get out to Wrigley someday soon, as watching so many Cubs games has intimated him to our beloved team. So if you see this guy wearing Yankees gear in the friendly confines…. Be Nice!
Kelly's is also decorated with Cubs pride!
Unfortunately, this doormat is an all too fitting symbol for the Cubs' last few seasons.
I informed Gerry that since his Cubs fan epiphany in Chicago in the mid-2000s, the team has gone through the worst losing period in over half a century. But like all Cubs fans, Gerry has hope that someday soon the Cubs will compete and contend, and the bar will be packed again in the fall like it was in 2008 when the Cubs last went to the playoffs.
The bottom line is, if you're a Cubs fan, and find yourself in the East Village of NYC, you should give Kelly's a visit. If not to watch a Cubs game, just to toss back a cold one and talk baseball in the only Cubs bar in New York City. Tell Gerry that Danny Rockett sent ya!
Are the Cubbies a dangerous up-and-coming team, or are they just another also-ran in a franchise well-acquainted with disappointing seasons?
The Yankees and Cubs got rained out tonight in the Bronx, so tomorrow, they will play an unusual day/night doubleheader in which the teams will only play each other on that day and then part ways. In the opener, former Oriole Jason Hammel is expected to start for the Cubs against Masahiro Tanaka, and in the nightcap, lefty Travis Wood takes on Michael Pineda. In their quest to end their 105-year World Series drought and 68-year wait since their last NL pennant, the Cubs are off to a slow start with new skipper Rick Renteria at 4-8, and PECOTA is not confident in them either, forecasting the Cubbies to go 68-82 the rest of the way, worse than all other NL teams except the Marlins. In theory, the Yankees should be good enough to sweep the doubleheader, but could the Cubs surprise them?
Position Players
The Cubs do seem to have a decent young offense that has some potential. At almost every position, there's a kid who has flashed some talent. Behind the plate, there's 26-year-old Welington Castillo, who hit .274/.349/.397 as a full-time catcher for the first time last year with a 106 wRC+ and is projected to hit 15 homers in 2014. He actually was the Cubs' leader in fWAR in 2014, finishing at 3.2 WAR. On defense, he's more of a question mark, as he threw out 29% of baserunners against him last year and rated as one of the worst pitch framers in baseball last year, allowing 94 extra strikes and 13 extra runs. He does seem to be much better at blocking pitches though, and he's already slugged a pair of homers this year. He's a fine bottom of the order hitter.
Castillo will likely only catch one of the games tomorrow. The other will be manned by 33-year-old veteran John Baker. He's about as typical as a backup catcher could be--average on defense and crappy with the bat. He's 0-for-11 this year, went 6-for-40 last year with the Padres, and couldn't crack a 60 wRC+ in the Pacific Coast League in 40 games for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate. He has not homered since September 4, 2009, when he did it against something named Garrett Mock. Atta boy.
The Cubs have an interesting pair of corner infielders in Anthony Rizzo and Mike Olt. Both players were trade acquisitions, and Rizzo has already become a pretty decent hitter. A former Red Sox prospect and Padres rookie, the lefty-hitting Rizzo flourished Wrigley in 2012, batting .285/.342/.463 with 15 homers and a 115 wRC+ in 87 games, and the Cubs rewarded him in May of 2013 with a seven-year, $41 million extension. He slipped a little bit in 2013 with a .233/.323/.419, 102 wRC+ line, but he did still notch 23 dingers. The 24-year-old is hitting .319/.389/.489 in the early goings of 2014, so Tanaka, Pineda, and the bullpen must pitch him carefully, especially given his lefty power swing and the short porch. The righty Olt was one of baseball's top prospects entering the 2013 season after a gaudy 168 wRC+ campaign with Texas's Double-A team in 2012, but eye problems and other maladies led to a disappointing follow-up in 2013. He was the main trade piece when the Rangers traded him for Matt Garza at the deadline. Olt earned the Cubs' starting third base job for 2014 and he still has plenty to prove, though he's started well with two dingers in 12 games. Chicago could also use third base backup Luis Valbuena, and he has a little bit of pop as well, having gone deep 12 times in 2013. At .222/.303/.350 for his seven-year career however, he's not much of a concern.
Up the middle is where it starts to get maddening for the Cubbies. When team president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer gave baby-faced shortstop Starlin Castro a seven-year, $60 million extension in August of 2012, people around baseball were optimistic that the then-22-year-old would be the next Cubs icon. In the approximately 20 months since then unfortunately, Castro has looked terrible. His 2013 season was a nightmare, as his strikeout rate escalated, his walk rate fell, and he often appeared to lose focus on the field, leading to a bit of a decline on defense, too. He ended 2013 at almost exactly replacement-level. It's definitely not too late for a resurgence from him, but he arguably has as much to prove as Olt after such a disastrous year. He's hit .300/.327/.460 with two doubles and two homers so far. Castro's double play partner, Darwin Barney, also had an awful 2013. Although a slick defender, his already-poor bat plummeted to below Chris Stewart levels at .208/.266/.303 with a 51 wRC+. If any Yankee gives up a hit to Barney, then he owes everyone else on the pitching staff a beer.
The Cubs' outfield is probably better than one might think. From left to right, it's Junior Lake, Ryan Sweeney, and Nate Schierholtz. Lake was a former shortstop prospect who was hitting far too well in Triple-A last year for the Cubs to keep him down. He hit .284/.332/.428 with a 109 wRC+ in 64 games upon being promoted and has begun 2014 well with a .265/.306/.559 triple slash. To the Yankees' benefit, his high strikeout rate (27.8% in the pros) does not bode well for him against Tanaka and Pineda. Although Sweeney has bounced around the majors since 2006, he is surprisingly still not 30 and bounced back from a few lost seasons to hit .266/.324/.448 with Chicago, notching 1.1 fWAR in 70 games, his highest total in four years. The lefty has started 2014 slower than any other Cub though, batting .200 with no power in nine games to date. Out in right is a more dangerous lefty, "Nate the Great," who some fans might remember from the 2010 World Series champion Giants and from the 2012-13 off-season, when we begged for the Yankees to sign him. Instead, they re-signed Ichiro Suzuki, and Schierholtz took his bat to Chicago, where he slugged 21 homers in 2013. Yippie. Baserunners should not try to take the extra base against Schierholtz, who has a rocket of an arm. Justin Ruggiano, Ryan Kalish, and Emilio Bonifacio will all also be available off the bench to pinch-hit or possibly start at DH.
Pitching
Yankees fans should remember Jason Hammel, who came out of seemingly nowhere to post a solid season in the Orioles' rotation during their run to the Wild Card in 2012. The regression bug attacked him last year, so Baltimore decided to let him walk as a free agent. He joined the Cubs on a one-year, $6 million deal, and he's been great for Rick Renteria's early on with a 2.63 ERA, 1.3 BB/9, and 0.512 WHIP in two starts against a solid Pirates team. In three starts at Yankee Stadium, he has had a 2.65 ERA, but take those numbers with a grain of salt since it's not much of sample. His best pitches are a two-seam fastball that averages about 92-93 mph and an 83 mph slider. He'll also occasionally mix in a four-seam fastball, a curve, and a changeup. Being that he posted an ugly 4.97 ERA and 4.93 FIP last year in 26 games for the Orioles though, he should not be too much of a problem for a team with a good offense like the Yankees.
Travis Wood will start the other game of the doubleheader, and he's with his third year in Chicago since being traded from the division rival Reds prior to 2012. The 27-year-old reached the 200-inning plateau for the first time in 2013, finishing with a fine 3.11 ERA, 3.89 FIP, and 2.8 fWAR. He doesn't strike out too many batters, but he also has nice control with a 2.97 BB/9. Although Wood's fastball is high-80s/low-90s, his money pitches is the cutter, which has easily been his most effective pitch during his young career.
The Cubs' bullpen features Jose Veras, who has already lost his job as closer, and Yankees whipping boy Pedro Strop. That's probably about all that needs to be said about it, but the middle relief has been surprisingly decent so far. Both Justin Grimm and Hector Rondon have hurled seven scoreless innings with a high strikeout rate, so there may be hope for the Cubs' bullpen yet. Being that their top relief arms entering the season have been miserable though, no lead should be considered safe with them.
The Yankees might deal with some dingers from the likes of Rizzo and Schierholtz, and given their histories, there's a chance that Hammel and Wood could frustrate them on offense. However, even given the trend of most doubleheaders to end in a split, the Yankees should be disappointed if they don't sweep the set from the Cubbies. With Tanaka, Pineda, and their offense, they are simply the better team.
The Cubs hope to get out of New York with a split of their day-night doubleheader. (I hope to win the Powerball, too. Neither is likely.)
ICYMI in the recap thread, the last time the Cubs were shut out in both games of a doubleheader was 52 years ago, April 29, 1962 against the Giants at San Francisco.
Game 1 and Game 2. It should be mentioned that the situations are similar -- a really bad Cubs team against a very good contending team, on the road. Jack Sanford, who started and shut out the Cubs in Game 1 that long-ago day, finished second in Cy Young voting, and Masahiro Tanaka, who won Game 1 today, could figure in the Cy Young conversation this year.
I wish I had different news, but I don't.
Also ICYMI, the Cubs today recalled left-handed pitcher Zac Rosscup from Triple-A Iowa. Rosscup will serve as the club’s 26th man for the nightcap of today’s split doubleheader against the Yankees. That's under a new rule allowing an extra player for such doubleheaders. Rosscup will head back to Iowa after the game.
Finally, the Cubs ran their record in parks called "Yankee Stadium" to 0-8 with the Game 1 defeat. They were 0-7 (two losses each in the 1932 and 1938 World Series, and a three-game sweep in 2005) in the old Yankee Stadium, and are now 0-1 in the new one.
The "good" news is that under the current scheduling scheme, the Cubs will likely not be back at Yankee Stadium until 2020. Try to enjoy this evening's contest anyway. In the meantime, caption the photo above. What are Rick(y) and the umpire saying to each other?
Gardner CF, Jeter SS, Beltran DH, Soriano LF, Solarte 2B, Suzuki RF, Sizemore 3B, Johnson 1B, Murphy C
This will be the first time Derek Jeter has played against the Cubs since 2005, as he was injured and missed the series at Wrigley in 2011. And Alfonso Soriano in left field? It's as if the Yankees are just taunting the Cubs.
Travis Wood, off to a good start this year, has never faced the Yankees. The current Yankee he's faced most is Carlos Beltran (6-for-20, two doubles, one home run). Wood will likely enjoy the cool weather (30s are forecast), as colder weather generally favors pitchers. (That's about all I've got for the Cubs' chances tonight.)
Prospect cautionary tale coming! Michael Pineda and Jesus Montero were two of the top young players in baseball when they were traded for each other in January 2012.
Pineda suffered elbow and shoulder trouble and didn't pitch in the major leagues at all in 2012 or 2013. Montero hit poorly in 2012 and 2013 and is currently in Triple-A.
That said, Pineda appears healthy now and has made two decent starts for the Yankees. The only Cub he has ever faced is Ryan Sweeney (0-for-1).
For 2014, we are going to have the same game-thread routine as 2013. Here's how it works.
You'll find the game preview -- like this one -- posting as the first link in the StoryStream™, which will then contain all the overflow threads and the recap. The recap will also be on the front page as a separate post; once I post a game recap, the stream for each game will be retitled "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.
In general, game previews will post two hours before game time. Exception: for day games after night games, that will usually be 90 minutes.
You will also be able to find the First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in this StoryStream™. As I've done for each regular-season game for several years now, we'll have the First Pitch thread at five minutes before game time (moved up from actual game time per your requests), then an overflow one hour, two hours and 2:45 after game time.
Second part of a double-dip ends with another Yankees shutout victory.
In the evening portion of today's doubleheader against the CubsMichael Pineda looked to at least rival Masahiro Tanaka's flawless performance from several hours before. He would be opposed by promising Cubs lefty Travis Wood. The teams both donned the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, so it was obviously a good omen to have an army of Mariano Riveras out on the field. No Jacoby Ellsbury or Brian McCann in the lineup, but Derek Jeter made his return from injury to bolster the fledgling offense.
Things remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Yankees pushed acrossed a run. A clutch two-out Brett Gardner single with runners on first and third scored Scott Sizemore to put the Yankees up by a single tally. They struck again in the fifth with another two-out hit, this time with a single from Sizemore that scored Alfonso Soriano. The scoring output was disappointing considering the number of hits the team was racking up, but the two-out production prevented things from staying scoreless.
David Phelps had another eventful appearance in the seventh and eighth but kept the Cubs at bay while Matt Thornton closed out the inning with the final two outs. Thornton started the ninth but it was Adam Warren who became the latest to fill David Robertson's shoes. After some scares and having the tying runs aboard at second and third, Warren induced a grounder to shortstop to close out the save and preserve the shutout.
Pineda was not quite as impressive as his counterpart Tanaka, but he was able to get the job done as effectively. He was able to work out of a second and third with one out jam in the top of the fifth and a two-out triple in the sixth to maintain the slim advantage. His stuff wasn't as electric as it was in his first two starts, but it was still Pineda's third great performance to start the season and pushed his ERA to a sparkling 1.00. Not too shabby for a guy who was on the shelf for two straight seasons. The offense scuttled away a lot of opportunities, only turning twelve hits into two runs, so they should thank Pineda and the bullpen for bailing them out.
With the sweep of the doubleheader the Yankees now sit atop the American League East. They will hop on a plane tonight and travel to Tampa Bay to open a four game series with the Rays. CC Sabathia and David Price will kick things off at 7:10 PM.
New York Post | Jorge Arangure Jr.: Michael Pineda will face scrutiny after the pine tar game, but it's just another obstacle he will have to overcome in his return to MLB.
A long day in New York went about as expected. C.J. Edwards has a prediction on winning later, CSN goes "inside" the Tanaka bidding to show why the Cubs expected the result, Cubs Den debunks St. Louis success, and Shark talks about the dangers of Wrigleyville.
Programming note: this was filed between games of the doubleheader against the Yanks. No complainin' - you don't need me to surf the internet.
Patrick Mooney takes an inside look at the bidding for Masahiro Tanaka. Turns out, Cubs execs pretty much always expected Tanaka to be a Yankee. So there's a chance all that "we won't be outbid" rumoring was just that. Shocking, I tell you.
Gordo names four Cubs who could wear Yankees' uniforms.
Former teammates were eager to talk to Alfonso Soriano.
Miscellaneous
If you haven't seen the MTV commercials for "Off the Bat", consider yourself lucky. But this, well, very MTV show did feature Anthony Rizzo taking batting practice with meatballs. Yes. Meatballs. I did snicker at the complete lack of concern for leaving meatball remnants all over cars.
Another heartbreaker for the Iron Pigs as Aumont and Horst blew it for Buchanan and the lineup. Buchanan didn't have a fantastic game, but did enough to keep the lead. Lehigh Valley got big production out of the bottom of the lineup (Reid Brignac, Koyie Hill, Ronny Cedeno). Jim Murphy has been off to a slow start. Not a prospect in any sense, but a decent bat that can mash a homer or two, hit his first HR of the year. Maikel Franco with a two hit, one walk day! He's back! Horst loses this one by giving up the go ahead run in the bottom of the 8th. He had been pretty stellar until this outing. LHV plays a doubleheader against the 'Cuse today with Greg Smith and Brad Lincoln making the starts.
Perci Garner had a mixed game despite the boxscore. Only threw half his pitches for strikes and was relieved in the top of the 5th after only throwing 63 pitches. That is rather odd, so if anyone was watching or listening to this game, feel free to comment on this one. I suspect injury, though he did pinch bunt in the top of the inning before coming out. Ryan O'Sullivan was the culprit for the loss in this one despite lowering his ERA in the process. An unearned run came around to score in the bottom of the 6th, in what would be the winning run. Cesar Hernandez continues to play 3B, but commits his 2nd fielding error. Fielding errors are going to happen; if it was throwing errors I'd be a bit more concerned. Ken Giles with another 2 K performance. Reading has the day off today.
Clearwater 4, Tampa 1
Miguel Nunez - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 K, HR, 5 GB, 7 FB Brian Pointer - 0 for 5, R, 2 K Peter Lavin - 0 for 5, 3 K Aaron Altherr - 1 for 3, R, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K, SB Harold Martinez - 2 for 4, R, 2B, RBI, K
I'll tell you what, Miguel Nunez is missing bats early this season and doing so in crucial situations. His lone mistake came off a solo home run to Yankees prospect Dante Bichette Jr.. It was apparently a windy day down in Tampa and many sure home runs were pushed back by the wind (according to the Tampa beat anyway). Good to see Brian Pointer in the game as he was pulled out of the last game early on. He did DH in the game, so obviously this is likely a lower body injury. Aaron Altherr with another big game during his rehab stint. Not sure what they are waiting for in calling him back up to Reading. Cole Hamels with another rehab start tonight.
Lakewood 3, Greensboro 2
Tyler Viza - 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 3 K, 12 GB, 2 FB JP Crawford - 0 for 3, BB, K, SB Carlos Tocci - 1 for 4, 2 RBI, K Dylan Cozens - 1 for 4, K Zach Green - 2 for 3, BB, SB, picked off Andrew Pullin - 0 for 4, 4 K (throwing error) Samuel Hiciano - 1 for 4, 2 K, CS Larry Greene - 1 for 3, R, K, SB Gabriel Lino - 1 for 3, HR, K Willians Astudillo - 3 for 3, R, 2B
Tyler Viza was really dialed in for this game and was a groundout machine. After a rough start, this was much needed for Viza (who had the luck of drawing Lucas Giolito in his last start). Odd lines for all Lakewood batters last night. Larry Greene with his 2nd stolen base. He needs only 1 more to have as many XBH as he currently has. We all anxiously await his power to develop. Any day now.... JP Crawford held hitless, but picks up his 4th stolen base. Lucky for Viza and the bullpen that Lino blasts a homer (1st of season) to put the Blue Claws up 3-0. Lakewood would get a scare in the top of the 9th as Manny Martinez would give up a leadoff double and then hit two batters to load the bases. Tyler Buckley would come in, get a strikeout and then give up a 2 run double to bring the game within one. After an intentional walk, Buckley would be replaced by Cody Forsythe. He would close out the game with a strikeout and groundout. Should also be noted that Andrew Pullin had a really really bad game. Astudillo continues to rake out of the 9 hole. Maybe he should be hitting closer to the middle of the lineup, no? Alejandro Arteaga draws the short straw and get Lucas Giolito in tonight's game. Poor guy.
Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from April 16th.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 2-8 vs. Buffalo Bisons
CF Ramon Flores 1-4, BB, 2 K 2B Jose Pirela 1-5, K RF Zoilo Almonte 2-5, OF assists, E9 - fielding error (1st), batting .263 this season DH Russ Canzler 1-3, BB, 2 K 1B Corban Joseph 2-4, double, 2 K 3B Adonis Garcia 1-4, RBI, K LF Ronnier Mustelier 0-4, K C Austin Romine 2-4, double, K, 2 passed balls SS Carmen Angelini 1-4, 2 K
Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 3-4, W 1-0 vs. Akron RubberDucks
Game 1:
CF Mason Williams 2-3, RBI, BB, SB - batting .264 this season DH Ben Gamel 2-4, RBI RF Tyler Austin 0-4, K C Gary Sanchez 1-3, HBP, E2 - missed catch error (2nd), batting .351 this season 1B Kyle Roller 0-3, BB, K, E3 - throwing error, first of the season 2B Rob Refsnyder 1-2, BB, K, CS - batting .154 this season LF Taylor Dugas 1-2, BB, SB 3B Dan Fiorito 0-3 SS Ali Castillo 1-3
Jeremy Bleich 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R/2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, hit batsman - 7-3 GO/AO Charley Short 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, hit batsman Cole Kimball 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Game 2:
CF Mason Williams 0-4 LF Ben Gamel 2-3, 2 CS DH Tyler Austin 0-1, 2 BB, K, put out 1B Kyle Roller 2-3, double, HR, RBI - second homer of the season 2B Rob Refsnyder 0-2, BB, K RF Yeral Sanchez 0-3, K 3B Dan Fiorito 1-3 C Tyson Blaser 1-2, BB, K SS Ali Castillo 0-2
Zach Nuding 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 5 K - 62 of 94 pitches for strikes
High-A Tampa Yankees:L 1-4 vs. Clearwater Threshers
CF Jake Cave 3-4, SB SS Cito Culver 0-4 - batting .186 over his last 10 games 3B Eric Jagielo 1-4, K, E5 - fielding error, fifth of the season DH Dante Bichette Jr. 1-4, HR, RBI, 2 K - first homer of the season, batting .325 C Peter O'Brien 2-4, double - batting .348 this season 2B Angelo Gumbs 1-3, double, BB RF Zach Wilson 0-3, BB, K 1B Reymond Nunez 0-4, K LF Claudio Custodio 0-4, 2 K
Rafael De Paula 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K - 1-9 GO/AO Zach Woods 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R/2 ER, BB, K, hit batsman, E1 - throwing error Tyler Webb 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 8-7 vs. Greenville Drive
DH Abiatal Avelino 2-5, triple, K - batting .300/.404/.375 over his last 10 SS Tyler Wade 2-4, 3 RBI, CS, put out 3B Miguel Andujar 0-2, 3 BB 1B Mike Ford 2-5 CF Brandon Thomas 1-4, RBI, BB, K, E8 - fielding error, first of the season LF John Murphy 1-4, RBI, BB, K, SB 2B Gosuke Katoh 1-4, triple, RBI, BB, 2 K - batting .182/.349/.273 this season C Eduardo de Oleo 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, K - first homer of the season RF Mikeson Oliberto 1-4, K, SB
Giovanny Gallegos 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K - 50 of 86 pitches for strikes Andrew Benak 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K Andury Acevedo 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K Philip Walby 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
The Cubs' visit to the Bronx can be summed up only by making mayhem on the form of a famous baseball poem.
The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Chicago nine that day. They'd been shut out already with one more game yet to play. And when the first eight Cubs were retired in batting shame, A sickly silence fell upon their fans about this game.
A few Cubs fans let out sighs of deep despair. The rest Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast; They thought, if only the Cubs could get a hit, or two They might even win this game, played in the new Bronx Zoo.
Kalish hit a single and then stole second base, But Bonifacio grounded out and left Ryan in his place; So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, For there seemed but little chance of having any good at-bat.
Meanwhile Travis Wood was throwing the cover off the ball, Yankees hits kept dropping, though, to the sadness of all Cubs fans, who somehow knew what was about to occur, Ichiro singles often help lead to runs scoring from third.
Then from 40,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell; Old friend Soriano hit a single in the dell; Then someone named Solarte made contact with his bat, And Sizemore drove in a Yankee run. Was that the end of that?
The famed Jack Robinson was honored last night in this place; There was pride in every bearing and a smile on ev'ry face. Jackie's Number 42 was worn on ev'ry shirt And then the Yankees brought the Cubs ev'ry bit of hurt.
The Chicagoans tried to plug away. Anthony Rizzo Hit a ball very far and wound up with a triple There, proud, on third base he stood, with two out a chance When Nate Schierholtz hit a pop up, as if stuck in a trance.
From Des Moines came this day young lefthander Zac Rosscup Hoping to get in the game, before his time was up And back to Iowa he would head, with frequent-flyer miles Zac had a scoreless outing. Back to Triple-A with smiles!
Off to the history books I went, to nineteen sixty-two Fifty-two years had gone by since such a feat came true TwoCubs shutouts in one day, back then, it happened twicethat year We hoped that such a day would never again come near.
A bad team we are witnessing, here in two thousand fourteen Play this bad since sixty-two, we'd hoped we would not have seen But here it is, and though men like Samardzija might bring some hope It will be loss after loss like this with which we'll have to cope.
The Cubs return to Wrigley soon, with weather looking cold Perhaps the home ballpark will make their playing rather bold Samardzija takes the ball Friday, assuming it won't rain And perhaps the Chicago nine will not take a loss again.
Kalish is the Cubs' last hope, his bat the only chance; He pounds his bat upon the plate as he goes into his stance. And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Ryan's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; But there is no joy in Chicago -- the Cubs were again shut out.
Teixeira will play three innings in what most likely will be in a simulated game at Tampa.
Working his way back from a Grade 1 hamstring injury suffered on April 4 in Toronto, Mark Teixeira will begin his road back to the Yankees by playing three innings in a game today. It hasn't been confirmed exactly what that game will be, whether it's a simulated game or a game with the High-A Tampa Yankees, but with the T-Yanks playing in Daytona, the best guess is that Tex will stay behind in Tampa for a sim game.
Teixeira is eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday and may very well do so, as expected. With a currently full 25-man roster, though, it's unclear as to who will get sent down to Triple-A in place of Teixeira once he returns. I suppose they could send down Scott Sizemore, but he may have to clear waivers first to get sent back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and some team would probably claim him in that event. They could, theoretically, send Dean Anna to Triple-A, but he's currently the team's true backup shortstop. They also could send someone down like Cesar Cabral, but that'll shorten the bullpen from a traditional seven-man crew to six.
The Yankees necessarily don't have to send someone down to open a spot up for Teixeira, however; they could send someone to the Disabled List instead. A prime candidate for this would be Brian Roberts. Roberts, who has a laundry list of ailments in recent years, is already sidelined thanks to a bad back. The Yankees have said that Roberts is day-to-day, but there's always a chance Roberts' back troubles could further linger, a la Kevin Youkilis in 2013. They also wouldn't have to wait the full 15 days if Roberts is DL'd, since he's missed the last four days already and it's not like he was hitting (37 wRC+) when he was healthy anyway.
First thing's first, though: Teixeira has to complete his rehab, which he'll start today. It's unclear as to what roster move they'll make if Teixeira is ready by Sunday, but that's a bridge they'll cross when they get there.
The Yankees swept the Cubs in a day-night doubleheader. Now they begin a seven game road trip to visit some division rivals. First stop, St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Rays. Did anyone win either Daily Prediction from yesterday's two games?
The Day of Expectancy went off without a hitch. Masahiro Tanaka pitched an absolute, 2 soft bunt hit, 10 strikeout gem and Michael Pineda followed up with 6 innings of shut out baseball as well. You really cannot ask for much more than that from your two young, cost controlled, fourth and fifth starters. Well, you could ask for more, but then you'd be kind of a jerk! Doubleheader Daily Prediction answers.
4/16/14 Daily Predictions Answers
1.
How many innings does the Yankee starter pitch?
Game 1: 8
Game 2: 6
2.
Total number of strikeouts? (From both teams)
Game 1: 17
Game 2: 9
3.
Total number of earned runs allowed? (From both teams)
Game 1: 3
Game 2: 2
4.
Total number of stolen bases? (From both teams)
Game 1: 2
Game 2: 1
5.
How many times do the umpires go to the replay?
Game 1: 2
Game 2: 0
6.
How many relief pitchers do the opposing team use?
Game 1: 2
Game 2: 2
7.
Name one Yankee you think will hit a home run tonight
Game 1: Beltran
Game 2: No one
8.
Best overall Yankee of the night?
Game 1: Tanaka
Game 2: Pineda
The Aardvarks were up late into the night crunching all the hard numbers for both games and it looks like the Yankees were the only winners yesterday. Once again, GriffMan, whose new nickname might be Ties, has not only tied with Andrew in Game 1 with 3,000 points, but has also tied with Waffles in Game 2 with 2,000 points. However, since his daily total is 5,000 points, I suppose he does deserve the victory for the full Day of Expectancy. I just thought tying twice was funny.
4/17/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions
1.
How many innings does the Yankee starter pitch?
2.
Total number of strikeouts? (From both teams)
3.
Total number of earned runs allowed? (From both teams)
4.
Total number of stolen bases? (From both teams)
5.
How many times do the umpires go to the replay?
6.
How many relief pitchers do the opposing team use?
7.
Name one Yankee you think will hit a home run tonight
8.
Best overall Yankee of the night?
If you could move the Tampa Bay Rays to a new location, where would it be and what would you call the team?
What is your favorite form of Fries? (Crinkle Cut, Waffle, Curly, Shoestring, Steak, etc.)
Road Trip: If you could get in a car and drive anywhere you wanted to go, where would you go?
Is your signature clean, proper, and actually look like your name or just some seizure-ish scribbles?
The Yankees are in St. Petersburg to play the Tampa Bay Rays for four game. Ugh. Four games in the dump that is Tropicana Field. I probably do rag on that stadium way too much, but I cannot help it. It's an absolute eyesore, both externally and internally, and we have to play there way too many games during the year. I actually feel bad for Rays fans. Apparently there are some new renovations to make the walk around better. Yay, I guess. All I know is that I cannot wait for the Yankees to be out of there.
You swept the Cubs. Sweep the Rays next. Let it begin with you, CC Sabathia.
