Fox Sports | Ken Rosenthal: MLB likely won't be changing any more rules this season, but there could be discussion about home plate collisions and legal substances in the offseason.
LoHud | Chad Jennings: The Yankees will sit Derek Jeter in a day game after a night game if the opposing pitcher is a right-hander, but he will play if it's a lefty.
Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from April 26th.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRaiders:L 0-5 vs. Durham Bulls
SS Jose Pirela 0-4, 2 K RF Ramon Flores 0-3 2B Scott Sizemore 0-3, 2 K 1B Russ Canzler 0-2, BB, K, E3 - throwing error, fifth of the season LF Zoilo Almonte 0-3, K 3B Adonis Garcia 0-3, 2 K C Austin Romine 0-3 DH Ronnier Mustelier 0-3, K CF Antoan Richardson 0-3, K
Caleb Cotham 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R/2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K - 52 of 85 pitches for strikes Diego Moreno 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Robert Coello 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 9-8 vs. Portland Sea Dogs (15 innings)
CF Mason Williams 1-8, RBI, K, SB - batting .152/.204/.152 over his last 10 games LF Ben Gamel 2-7, K 3B Rob Segedin 1-5, RBI, 2 BB - batting .314 this season DH Kyle Roller 3-6, BB, K C Gary Sanchez 2-7, double, 2 RBI 2B Rob Refsnyder 3-7, HR, 2 RBI, SB - second homer of the season RF Taylor Dugas 2-6 1B Dan Fiorito 2-7, RBI, K SS Ali Castillo 2-6, K
Jeremy Bleich 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K - 49 of 83 pitches for strikes Cole Kimball 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, K, WP Pat Venditte 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K Aaron Dott 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, K Charley Short 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, K
CF Jake Cave 1-4, BB SS Cito Culver 0-4 3B Eric Jagielo 1-4, K - batting .235/.350/.265 over his last 10 games DH Dante Bichette Jr. 0-2, K RF Peter O'Brien 2-4, double, OF assist LF Zach Wilson 2-4, double 2B Jose Toussen 1-4, double 1B Reymond Nunez 2-4, RBI C Trent Garrison 2-4, RBI, 2 K
Eric Wooten 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K, WP - 8/6 GO/AO Evan Rutckyj 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB Kyle Haynes 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K Alex Smith 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, hit batsman
Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:L 4-5 vs. Delmarva Shorebirds
DH Abiatal Avelino 0-4 SS Tyler Wade 0-3 RF Aaron Judge 0-3, K 1B Mike Ford 0-1, BB LF Michael O'Neill 0-2, BB, K 3B Miguel Andujar 1-3 CF Jose Rosario 1-3, double, 2 RBI 2B Gosuke Katoh 1-3, triple, RBI, 2 K - batting .167 this season C Eduardo de Oleo 0-2, RBI, E2 - pickoff error, third of the season
Rookie Davis 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K - 48 of 80 pitches for strikes Andy Beresford 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, K
The Yankees are already on pace to steal more bases than last season.
Although the season isn't even a month old yet, Brett Gardner has already shown that he is more willing to steal bases than he was last year. Through 23 games, he's stolen 6 bases. That's a quarter of the number of bases he stole last year in 145 games. If Gardner keeps up this pace, he could very well end up stealing 40+ bases, which would be a return to the days of 2010 and 2011 when he stole 47 and 49, respectively.
In fact, the team as a whole is on pace to steal about 15 more bases than they did last year. Speaking of last year, does anyone care to guess how the 2013 Yankees ranked in terms of base stealing compared to all of the other teams? 7th place. Considering that the team was filled with a random assortment of players to fill in for the regulars on the DL, and factoring in the older age of the team in general, it's kind of amazing that they managed to steal 115 bases last year. So far this year, the Yankees have stolen 19 bases, which makes them tied for the fourth most stolen by any team. Of course, Jacoby Ellsbury has stolen almost half of those (8) single-handedly. Brian Roberts has also shown that he remains a threat to steal, when he actually manages to get on base, as he's stolen 3 bases. If the team keeps up the current pace, they could pass 130 stolen bases by the end of the season, which they haven't done since 2011 when they stole 147.
When the Yankees first signed Ellsbury, I grumbled over the contract and the fact that they already had enough outfielders, but I have to admit that his speed has improved the team considerably. Not only does he seem to get to almost everything hit his way in the outfield, but he's always a threat to steal, which is fun to watch. Maybe his speed has even inspired Gardner to be more aggressive. Do you think Gardner and Ellsbury will be able to keep up this rate? What do you think the total number of stolen bases for the team will be at the end of the year?
Fun fact: The team that stole the least amount of bases last year only stole 35 total. Comment below with your guess as to which team that was and the winner will receive one internet high-five. Googling doesn't count.
Vidal Nuno, John Ryan Murphy, and the Yankees bullpen shut down the Angels yesterday. Masahiro Tanaka will pitch tonight for the series win. Waiting till 8PM on a Sunday to watch Tanaka pitch should be a crime.
The Yankees bullpen and back-up catcher John Ryan Murphy came through in yesterday's victory. Vidal Nuno continues to shine on, albeit briefly due to not really having his arm stretched out for full on starter duties. However, thus far he has shown he has some decent stuff. Hopefully, he continues to impress. Speaking of continuing to impress, Masahiro Tanaka. He pitches tonight. Can I get a "YAY" up in here?
Name one Yankee you think will hit a home run tonight
Murphy
8.
Best overall Yankee of the night?
Murphy/Robertson
There was no need for the Aardvarks to get piss drunk today, after the somewhat normal baseball game that was played. However, it was Saturday night and those six bottles of rum weren't drinking themselves. While Aaron Uno goes and collects his clothes/wallet from behind a dumpster on 18th street, I'm happy to announce the winner of yesterday's DP was Q-TDSK. He correctly answered three questions, and thus earned the 3,000 points for the win. Way to go.
4/27/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions
1.
How many innings does the Yankee starter pitch?
2.
Total number of Yankee doubles?
3.
Total number of Yankee earned runs scored?
4.
Total number of times Yankee batters strikeout?
5.
Total number of times Yankee batters walk?
6.
How many relief pitchers do the Yankees use?
7.
Name one Yankee you think will hit a home run tonight
8.
Best overall Yankee of the night?
Sexiest accent on the planet?
What is your favorite sound? (From sound effects to everyday things you hear to anything really)
What is your "go-to" snack?
Best new song you've heard in the past month?
Waiting till 8PM on a Sunday for Tanaka to pitch should be a crime. Especially because it's an ESPN game tonight. Huzzah. Either way, the Yankees are going for the series victory tonight against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim California No Doubt About It In the City of Anaheim. Winning a series against a team is definitely a strategy they should continue to employ for the season.
"It just happened so quick," Cahill said. "I think I was overthrowing. It's embarrassing. Bronson threw a great game. I should be able to come and get three outs without letting them take the lead back."
The D-backs wasted Arroyo's six innings of two-run, seven-hit ball and lost, 6-5, to snap a modest three-game winning streak. They had a 5-0 lead at one point, but their record dropped to 8-19 and 2-12 at home.
The Phillies fell behind 5-0 in the first three innings as Lee struggled. Philadelphia rallied by scoring two runs off Bronson Arroyo in the seventh and four more in the eighth against Joe Thatcher and Trevor Cahill (1-5).
Bronson Arroyo gave the Diamondbacks a chance, extending their recent streak of quality starts. A shaky outing by the bullpen and some costly mistakes led to another disappointing loss.
It has been a long road trip for the Phillies.It has been any even longer road back to respectability for the D-backs. On Sunday, the two teams will square off in the series finale with Brandon McCarthy on the mound for the D-backs and A.J. Burnett on the hill for the Phillies.
The D-backs unveiled their Move It! exhibit at the downtown Children's Museum of Phoenix on Saturday and the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation donated $100,000 to the museum as part of its Grand Slam Grants program. Kirk Gibson corroborated the prognosis of left fielder Mark Trumbo, specifying that the length of his absence due to a stress fracture in his left foot might be even longer than the six weeks Trumbo predicted.
When Kirk Gibson arrived at Chase Field Friday, he entered a ballpark that his team had played to a 1-9 record in thus far this season. "Home" -- meant to be a welcome sight -- was instead an albatross for the skipper.
Nothing seemed to go right for one New York Yankees fan in the top of the sixth inning Saturday. In a matter of seconds, he whiffed while trying to catch a foul ball, lost his hat and couldn't connect on a high-five with another fan.
A quick look at how the Yankees are doing in 2014 compared to their abysmal season last year.
The season is still very young, but that doesn't mean we can't crunch some peripheral numbers to see how the Yankees are doing and what to expect going forward. Here's a look at some standard and advanced metrics summarizing the Yankees production through 4/25/2014 with those same metrics from last year given as a reference. (All data courtesy of Fangraphs)
Offense
Year
AVG
OBP
SLG
wRC+
BB%
K%
BsR
BABIP
HR/FB
2014
.269
.331
.414
103
8.0%
19.5%
2.2
.320
8.5%
2013
.242
.309
.376
85
7.7%
20.1%
-1.9
.285
9.7%
As expected, the offense has significantly improved compared to 2013. All three slash stats have gone way up and they're creating runs at an above average level. While the walk rate is still too close for comfort to last year's, it should improve as Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann get more acclimated to American League pitching. They're both currently walking at about half their career rate. Base running has also been a key to the offense's overall improvement. Last year's patchwork squad was about two runs below average, but Jacoby Ellsbury and company have already been two runs above average on the base paths and that will continue to rise. When putting the ball in play, luck has been on the Yankees side as they have hit .320. That will surely regress back towards .300 but will also be buoyed by a correction in home run rate. As the weather warms up, their HR/FB percentage should climb to 10% or higher and keep the run production steady. Barring catastrophic injuries, the offense should remain above average going forward.
Pitching
Year
ERA
ERA+
FIP
xFIP
K/9
BB/9
HR/9
BABIP
HR/FB
2014
4.32
99
4.09
3.59
8.74
2.69
1.32
.300
13.8%
2013
3.94
103
3.89
3.76
7.67
2.72
1.06
.302
11.5%
Despite lights out performances by Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda (the Pine Tar Kid) the Yankee arms have been only average so far. The bad news is that things will only get tougher as Ivan Nova's season ending injury will put Vidal Nuno and/or David Phelps in rotation and weaken the bullpen just a bit. The good news is that the peripheral numbers indicate an improvement is on the horizon. The team strike out rate is much higher than it was last year while their walk rate has remained steady, but home runs have been flying out of the park at an unsustainable rate. That means that if the home run rate regresses back to normal, as it should, the team ERA should steadily shrink as well, as evidenced by their FIP (which approximates ERA using only strike out, walk and actual home run rates) and xFIP (which approximates ERA using only strike out, walk and normalized home run rates). Couple that with the return of a healthy David Robertson and the Yankees' pitchers should perform at least as well as last year's solid staff did for the balance of the year.
Fielding
UZR Components
Year
FP
DSR
ARM
DPR
RngR
ErrR
UZR/150
2014
.982
-6
0.5
-0.8
-3
0.2
-3.2
2013
.988
21
3.6
-5.4
7.9
6.4
2
Advanced fielding metrics can fluctuate wildly when taken in small sample sizes, but so far both standard and fancy numbers agree that the Yankees have been below average in the field. That idea is also substantiated by the difference in the pitching staff's ERA and FIP noted above. The real question, then, is whether or not to expect these wildly fluctuating metrics to positively regress as the season wears on. In order to answer that, let's look at the main culprit for the poor defense so far. According to the UZR components above, it's been a lack of range that has cost the team the most runs so far and, surprisingly, the numbers say that Jacoby Ellsbury is the worst offender at more than three range runs below average. Over the past three seasons, the same rating system has said that Ellsbury has actually saved about 12 runs per year thanks to his range alone. Therefore, unless he has completely forgotten how to field, it's expected that the advanced metrics will put Ellsbury, and the team as a whole, back in the black sooner than later.
Adam Duvall, 3B, San Francisco Giants: Adam Duvall was drafted by the Giants in the 11th round in 2010 from the University of Louisville. He has been a persistent and consistent source of power in the farm system, hitting 22 homers in Low-A in 2011, 30 in High-A in 2012, and 17 more in Double-A in 2013. He's got six more homers in 23 games for Triple-A Fresno so far this year, which would project out to about 30 in a 120-game season.
I'm mentioning the power first because his other offensive skills don't stand out. He doesn't hit for high averages, running in the .250s every year since leaving Low-A (.258 in '12, .252 in '13, .256 this year). Although not radically impatient, his walk rates aren't great and his OBPs generally run around .320. Overall this year he's at .245/.316/.456 at Fresno. Of course what really matters is relative production and despite the consistency in his raw slash lines, in league-relative terms he has bounced around: wRC+ 146 in '11, 106 in '12, 114 in '13, and 99 this year.
Age 25, Duvall is a mediocre defensive third baseman and scouts aren't wild about his athletic tools. He doesn't run or throw especially well and is generally considered a fringe prospect despite his power.
Duvall does hold a spot on the 40-man roster, so he can be promoted to the majors without causing a transaction hassle. The Giants are getting virtually no offensive production out from their bench players, and Duvall's power could be attractive later in the year despite his limitations.
How will Masahiro Tanaka fare in the decisive matchup of the Yankees/Angels series?
The Yankees and Angels will close out their three-game series tonight on Sunday Night Baseball at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN, and calling the action will be Dan Shulman, Buster Olney, and John Kruk. Karl Ravech and Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin will have pre-game coverage during Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown an hour beforehand. Tonight's game will see Masahiro Tanaka and Garrett Richards square off, and ESPN Media was nice enough to offer the chance to interview one of their commentators. I spoke with Shulman, who will call the play-by-play tonight.
What have been your early impressions of Masahiro Tanaka? Do you think his unique repertoire is likely to fool some of the greatest hitters around in Mike Trout and Albert Pujols?
It's hard to say. It doesn't seem like Tanaka exactly fools people--it more seems like he's just a really good pitcher with a great idea of what he's doing out there. He moves the ball around very well and mixes up his pitches. Tanaka facing those two hitters will lead to some of the greatest pitcher/hitter matchups possible in the game today.
The Angels have had back-to-back disappointing seasons despite big off-seasons. Does this year's edition have enough offense and pitching to reach relevancy again?
It's too soon to tell whether this Angels group is actually a good enough team. We'll have to wait until Josh Hamilton gets back to make better judgments about their lineup, and we'll also have to wait for both Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson to pitch better as well. The offense does lead the American League in homers right now with 36, but the pitching must improve. Overall, they're certainly off to a decent start.
Pujols is off to a hot start with a league-high nine homers already. Do you think the mashing Albert of his Cardinals days is truly back, or is this just a nice streak?
The answer probably lies somewhere between the two. High expectations led to a slow start to his Angels career in 2012, though he eventually rebounded. His 2013 campaign was plagued by injuries, especially the plantar fasciitis that ended his season in late July. Pujols is hitting very well, but it's important to remember that he's 34 now. A return to his prime offensive numbers would likely be asking for too much, though he could definitely still be a very productive hitter.
The Yankees will face the somewhat-unknown righty Garrett Richards on Sunday night. What can they expect from him?
Richards has as live an arm as there is on that Angels pitching staff. He's a power arm who can throw 94-95 mph, and he also has a sharp breaking slider and curveball. He's been strong so far this season.
Despite some injuries, the Yankees' bullpen has pitched pretty well in the early goings. Which of their young arms have most impressed you?
They've all pitched well, from Shawn Kelley (though he isn't really young) and Adam Warren to David Phelps and Vidal Nuno. They've dealt with injuries, but they've all done a good job stepping in with a lot of different guys filling a lot of different spots.
What are your early impressions of Derek Jeter, playing in his first healthy season since 2012?
Jeter is swinging the bat very well, hitting the ball to right-center field the way he always used to do, even though he hasn't seemed quite as good getting down the line. At shortstop, there's no getting around the fact that he's turning 40 soon, but he's been mostly healthy and he's made about all the plays you could possibly expect from someone his age. Overall, he's looked fine.
***
Thanks again to Dan Shulman and ESPN Media for arranging this interview.
Should the Yankees be interested if the third baseman is available?
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman posted Sunday that third baseman Jeong Choi of Korea is aiming to play in the United States next season. Obviously, the Yankees still have a third baseman with multiple years left on his contract in Alex Rodriguez, but no one can be sure of how the nearly 40-year-old's body will respond to missing nearly the equivalent of two seasons by the time he is able to return from his 162-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal.
Choi has been called the David Wright of Korea, according to Heyman's article. He's 27-years-old with all five tools and has averaged more than 20 home runs over the last four seasons in Korea. Choi has also demonstrated his speed on the bases by averaging more than 20 steals across that span. Heyman also touts the third baseman's arm strength and was second in his league in on-base percentage last season, which was his best.
If the Yankees did want to move away from Rodriguez at third – whether to make him a permanent DH or eat the large amount of money remaining on his contract to release him – there are a number of free agent options already playing in the United States they may want to pursue. Chase Headley, Hanley Ramirez, and Pablo Sandoval lead that list. With the team already knowing they have to replace their shortstop after the retirement of Derek Jeter and their second baseman after Brian Roberts' contract is over, it may be that third base just isn't their top priority.
The infield in New York is simply not a strength by any means, and the outlook for it does not seem to be improving in the short-term. Next winter's first priority will almost certainly be filling the middle infield, especially shortstop, where the farm system is practically bone-dry. It's unlikely that the Steinbrenners will want to part with the funds necessary to have Rodriguez play elsewhere upon his return, but it seems almost impossible to imagine him suiting up for the team again after all the bad blood and dirty laundry that was aired over the course of last season. Should the team decide that the financial hit is worth not dealing with the headache that Rodriguez's presence comes with, then Choi could certainly be an option for a team that is almost desperate in its need for infield assistance.
Tanaka and the offense weren't spectacular, but they were good enough to get the Yankees a win.
Masahiro Tanaka did not have his best stuff tonight. He walked four people and allowed five hits, yet almost every time he got into trouble, he got out of it. He struck out eleven Angels and kept the Yankees in it long enough for the offense to push a few runs across. The Yankees' offense managed just three hits, but thanks to Tanaka and some Angels' mishaps, those three hits were enough and got the Yankees a 3-2 win.
Tanaka had gotten into and escaped trouble a couple times early in the game, but the Angels eventually got a run home in the fourth. Erick Aybar led off the inning for the Angels with a double. After striking out David Freese, Tanaka hit Ian Stewart with a pitch. Chris Iannetta then drew a walk (Tanaka's fourth of the night) to load the bases. J.B. Shuck came up next and he grounded a ball to Brian Roberts. Roberts got the force out at second, but that was all they could get and a run scored. Tanaka then came back to strike out Collin Cowgill to end the inning and minimize the damage.
The Yankees struggled to get much of anything going against Garrett Richards, but they finally pushed a run across in the fifth inning. Mark Teixeira drew a lead-off walk, bringing Brian Roberts to the plate. Roberts doubled down the left field line, moving Teixeira to third. Ichiro Suzuki grounded out to short, but with the infield back, Teixiera was able to score on the play, tying the game at one.
The Angels came right back to retake the lead when Freese led off the sixth with a home run. Tanaka was able to get the next three outs relatively easily, but the Angels now led once again.
Tanaka came back out to start the seventh, but was pulled after striking out Cowgill. Tanaka had far from his best stuff, but still had a pretty decent day. He went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out eleven. Adam Warren came in and immediately allowed a single to Mike Trout. With Albert Pujols at the plate, Warren avoided the Angels adding an insurance run by getting Pujols to ground into a double play.
Saving that run would be huge when Teixeira led off the bottom of the seventh with a monster home run into the second deck. The Yankees hit a couple more flyballs pretty deep, but they stayed in the park and the game stayed tied.
After Warren threw a 1-2-3 eighth inning, the Yankees took their first lead of the game thanks to some Angels' silliness. Jacoby Ellsbury drew a walk to lead off the inning. After Derek Jeter struck out, Carlos Beltran drew another walk. After the Beltran walk, the Angels brough reliever Nick Maronde into the game. With Brian McCann at the plate, Iannetta let a pitch get past him, allowing Ellsbury and Beltran to move to second and third. A couple pitches later, Maronde threw a wild pitch, allowing Ellsbury to score and give the Yankees the lead. And then after that, McCann got hit by a pitch, which was originally ruled ball three, but was overturned after a review. But after that, the Yankees would let the Angels off the hook when Alfonso Soriano grounded into a double play.
David Robertson was brought in for the ninth to try and finish the game off. Robertson got off to a good start when he struck out Stewart. It then got a little scary when Iannetta drew a one-out walk (umpire gave two very close potential strike thees as balls, but hey). Robertson then got Shuck to ground one to second for out number two. That left the game up to the go ahead run at the plate, who would be pinch hitter Raul Ibanez. Our old friend Raul could not get anything done, as Robertson struck him out to end the game. The Yankees came away with a 3-2 win and a series win over the Angels.
The Yankees get the day off tomorrow before the Mariners and a certain second baseman come to the Bronx for a series starting Tuesday. Should be "fun".
Fangraphs | David Laurila:Vidal Nuno talks about his journey through pro ball to the Yankees while first base coach Mick Kelleher remembers his brawl with Dave Kingman.
MondoLinks: A recap of baseball happenings over this past weekend...and...this week's One Big Idea: What if your franchise owner was a despicable, horrible bad guy?
While you were away...
The Angels opened their weekend in New York in monster fashion, blasting the Yankees 13 to 1 as C.J. Wilson maintains his strong outings against NY. Saturday was an eminently winnable game that fortune pulled from our limp grasp and the Halos drop one 4 to 3. Hector Santiago had one bad inning and the bullpen was rock solid, but the offense stalled. So Sunday night comes along and Garret Richards takes on the challenge of Masahiro Tanaka, and brilliantly stays ahead of him through 7 innings (at a fraction of the price). But the offense was still chill and the margin of error remained razor thin as the LAA bullpen took over again - this time, not so rock solid. Game blown 3 to 2. A sweep was within the realm of possibilities,and the Halos grossly out pointed the Yanks, but dropped 2 out of 3 anyway and now limp home. The Angels open by hosting three against the Indians in Anaheim, where they are an insufferable 3 and 6 to date.
The City of Anaheim and Arte Moreno are not going anywhere, but not in the way that you think. Talks have stalled. Well, except for the talking of Tom Tait. "You're the mayor. A guy walks into City Hall and offers to spend half a billion bucks to revitalize property owned by the city, at no cost to the city. What do you say? If you're Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait, you call it a taxpayer giveaway."
ESPN wants to tell me something important about my team. But they want me to pay for it, and that ain't happening. From what I can gather, they want to point out that our pitching staff is the worst in MLB at throwing a first pitch strike. I will leave it to one of you people to figure out if they might consider the possibility that this might have something to do with managerial philosophies or dugout-based strategies.
Jim Fregosi still not being honored with a memorial patch.
24 games lost. Only 138 games remaining to save face.
_____________________
By now you must have heard or read quite a bit about LA Clippers owner slash bigot slash asshat Donald Sterling and his most recent spate of ugly racism. Brutally bad stuff. Just brutal.
Without pontificating on the obvious, this week let's just ask the question: what would be YOUR personal reaction if the owner of your favorite sports franchise - supposedly an entertaining diversion from the harsh reality of the every day - turned out to be an incredible social and civic villain? By "personal reaction", I am asking what actual action would you take, if any?
Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from April 27th.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 6-4 vs. Durham Bulls
RF Ramon Flores 2-3, double, RBI, BB, E9 - fielding error, first of the season 1B Scott Sizemore 0-4, 3 K SS Dean Anna 0-3, HBP, E6 - throwing error, first of the season LF Zoilo Almonte 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, K - fifth homer of the season 3B Adonis Garcia 0-4 2B Corban Joseph 0-4, 2 K DH Russ Canzler 1-3, HR, RBI, BB - first homer of the season C Austin Romine 0-4, 2 K, E2 - throwing error, first of the season CF Antoan Richardson 0-1, 2 HBP, E8 - throwing error, second of the season
Double-A Trenton Thunder:W 6-5 vs. Portland Sea Dogs
LF Taylor Dugas 1-5, K CF Ben Gamel 2-5, double, RBI, OF assist - batting .302 this season DH Rob Segedin 0-1, 3 BB, K C Gary Sanchez 2-4, double, HR, 3 RBI - second homer of the season 1B Kyle Roller 1-3, 2 RBI, BB, K 2B Rob Refsnyder 2-4 - batting .282 this season RF Yeral Sanchez 0-4, K 3B Dan Fiorito 0-4, K SS Ali Castillo 2-4, K
Graham Stoneburner 3.2 IP, 5 H, BB, 3 K, WP - 42 of 68 pitches for strikes Jairo Heredia 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Manny Barreda 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, K Branden Pinder 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
CF Jake Cave 5-5, 2 RBI, CS - batting .452/.489/.643 over his last 10 games SS Brendan Ryan 2-5, RBI 3B Eric Jagielo 0-1, 3 BB, K DH Dante Bichette Jr. 0-3, 2 K, HBP 2B Angelo Gumbs 0-4, K RF Jose Toussen 2-4, double, OF assist 1B Reymond Nunez 0-4, K C Trent Garrison 1-3, BB, K, passed ball LF Claudio Custodio 0-4, RBI, 3 K, SB
Rafael De Paula 5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K - 3/3 GO/AO Phil Wetherell 2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, K Tyler Webb 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:L 3-5, L 0-5 vs. Delmarva Shorebirds
Game 1:
SS Abiatal Avelino 1-4, K 2B Tyler Wade 2-4, double, K RF Aaron Judge 1-4, K LF Michael O'Neill 2-4, 3 RBI, K 3B Miguel Andujar 0-4, 2 K, E5 - fielding error, seventh of the season DH Jose Rosario 2-3 1B John Murphy 1-3 C Kale Sumner 0-3, 3 K, passed ball CF Mikeson Oliberto 1-3, 2 K, E8 - fielding error, second of the season
Luis Severino 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R/1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K - 49 of 76 pitches for strikes Philip Walby 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K Stefan Lopez 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, K
Game 2:
Abiatal Avelino 0-2 DH Tyler Wade 0-4, 2 K - batting .292 this season 3B Miguel Andujar 1-3, BB RF Michael O'Neill 0-4, 2 K 1B John Murphy 0-3, BB, K LF Jose Rosario 0-3, HBP - batting .350 this season C Eduardo de Oleo 1-4, 2 K, E2 - catcher interference error, fourth of the season 2B Gosuke Katoh 1-3, BB, K, SB, E4 - fielding error, third of the season CF Mikeson Oliberto 0-4, K
Giovanny Gallegos 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R/0 ER, BB, 4 K - 46 of 69 pitches for strikes Jaron Long 1.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 3 K Nick Rumbelow 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, 3 K, 3 WP
Billings goes on the DL after pitching in one game.
Let's start with the good news: Brett Gardner and Yangervis Solarte were both held out of last night's lineup due to injuries, but they are both expected to be okay. After being hit in the foot by a pitch during Saturday night's game, Gardner was experiencing soreness yesterday. The good news is that the X-ray results were negative, and Gardner said that his foot felt better than he expected. Hopefully he'll be able to rest it today and be back in the lineup ASAP. Solarte's shoulder was reportedly bothering him from a dive that he made the other day, and Girardi elected to sit him in order to give him two days of rest. Tests on his shoulder were negative and he should be back in the lineup on Tuesday, barring any setbacks.
In other, not as good news, the bullpen has turned into a revolving door. Bruce Billings was place on the 15-day DL on Sunday with a strained right forearm. This coming after he was called up just a few days ago and pitched rather poorly in a grand total of one game. Preston Claiborne was called back up in his place, which is allowed despite his having just been optioned, because he's replacing an injured player.
Masahiro Tanaka gets 11 strikeouts and gives up 2 runs on an "off-day" for him. Other teams should be concerned. Speaking of teams, it's time to pick one in a new friendly competition at Pinstripe Alley.
Masahiro Tanaka struck out eleven batters, walked four, and only gave up two runs over 6.1 innings. This was an "off-day" for him. Damn. Meanwhile, the Yankees took two games out of three from the Angels, giving them another series victory. Even though it's April, they are tied with the Rangers and the Athletics for the best record in the AL. Not too shabby.
Name one Yankee you think will hit a home run tonight
Teixeira
8.
Best overall Yankee of the night?
Tanaka/Teixeira
With the off day today, the Aarons are taking a quick trip to Denver, Colarado for some legal marijuana. One would think that they'd be on a natural high after watching Tanaka strike out 11 batters, but when I told them that they just threw a bottle at me. Speaking of Tanaka, being that everyone picked him as their Best overall Yankee of the night, everyone who participated scored at least one point. There were a lot of people who tied for 3,000 points as well. However, once again HighFlyers28 has claimed victory with 4,000 points. Boldly predicting the Mark Teixeira dinger gave him the edge he needed. Kudos.
Now for some Fun Questions
What is your dream car? (This can be either a real car or a fantasy/fictional car)
Bed time: Your covers/sheets... tucked or un-tucked?
Recommend a singer/band to your fellow PSAers that you personally think is "the shit!"
Favorite board game?
As Caitlin wrote about yesterday, the Yankees have been more aggressive on the base paths lately, stealing bags like they've got diamonds in them. Our OFBFF's Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner are most likely not competing to be the stolen base leader for the Yankees. We can still pretend that they are though, for our own amusement. A little friendly competition never hurt anyone, except for those wagering money on said competition. We've only got internet points here.
Either way, it's time to ask yourself which team are you on; Team Ellsbury or Team Gardner?
After nine years in the Bronx, five-time All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano returns to Yankee Stadium tomorrow night as an opponent. Life is weird.
On Tuesday night, the baseball world is going to be very weird. A former superstar will return to Yankee Stadium as a visitor after spurning the Yankees of all teams for a big-money contract away from the Bronx. Sure, former players who were let go as free agents like Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher, and Hideki Matsui have returned to this site in the past, but none of them carried the cache that Robinson Cano did during his nine years as a Yankee. The only other legitimate comparison to Cano's return might be when Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson came back to Yankee Stadium as an Angel after George Steinbrenner decided to not pursue him in the 1981-82 off-season. (In his first game back, Reggie promptly homered into the upper deck because that's just what Reggie did.)
However, perhaps that's not even an apt comparison since Reggie didn't come up through the farm system or anything like that. Moving beyond his nine years in New York, Cano spent a full 13 seasons in the organization after being signed as a skinny 18-year-old in January 2001. He was not a well-regarded prospect, never spending any time on Top 100 Prospects lists or anything like that. He just gradually increased his abilities at the plate until he was hitting so well in Triple-A Columbus while Tony Womack looked so awful in early 2005 that the Yankees just had to call him up. Despite struggling a little bit at second base in his first year, Cano had very nice numbers for a rookie with a .297/.320/.458 triple slash, and he finished runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
In early '05, I was playing my last days of youth baseball in my hometown rec league. For as much as I loved the game, there was no getting around the fact that I was terrible. I couldn't hit anything. The pitches were too fast and some kids were even adding movement. I even frequently missed pitches during batting practice. However, I still enjoyed playing the field at second base, which I had decided a few years prior to be my preferred position. I was a huge Yankees fan and found it curious that while they did have Hall of Famers in Joe Gordon and Tony Lazzeri, there was no player who transcended Yankee history at second base. Thus, it was only logical that when this sweet-swinging second baseman joined the team and found immediate success that he would instantly become my favorite player, usurping the likes of Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, and even Derek Jeter. I still have a replica of the #22 pinstriped jersey Cano previously wore before switching to #24 in '07.
When Cano broke out as an All-Star in '06, it was even more exciting. It added legitimacy to some doubts about his sustainability in the majors despite not being much of a prospect. Cano became such a fun player to watch take the field. I always appreciated Jeter and Matsui's efforts, but they always struck me as simply looking too businesslike in their play on the field. While some people prefer that type of play, it can get a little drab. As long as players aren't getting in trouble off the field and aren't shooting their mouths off with dumb quotes, a little flair to the personality never hurt anyone. Cano had flair, and that really started to come out when he emerged as a slugger averaging 28 dingers per year from 2009-13.
For a little while, it seemed like Cano might suffer a similar fate at second base to Alfonso Soriano, who tried very hard at the position from 2001-03 with the team but could just never shed his rock glove. Although Soriano stayed at second for a couple more seasons after being traded to the Rangers, he was ultimately moved to the outfield when he joined the Nationals in '06, where he actually became a pretty good outfielder whose strong arm worked well out there. Like Soriano, Cano had a strong arm, but he otherwise struggled in the infield for most of 2005-09 other than a strong '07.
The '08 campaign was a big struggle in particular as Cano played poorly on both sides of the ball and was benched by Joe Girardi for a game in September. That was probably the lowest point in his young career to date, and when I visited Yankee Stadium in my Cano jersey, I found myself having to defend him from other fans who did not like him. Fortunately for the Yankees and their fans, Cano rebounded at the plate, took a better career path on defense than Soriano, and he became one of the best second baseman in the game. In fact, he played the position so well that "THIS GAME IS EASY" became a meme around Pinstripe Alley because he made incredibly difficult plays look so casual.
Cano was now a superstar and an annual MVP candidate due to his tremendous numbers both on offense and defense. In 2009, he notched a career-high 204 hits with 48 doubles and 25 homers, and the Yankees won the World Series. Cano had the honor of recording the last out on a ground ball by Shane Victorino. From 2010-13, Cano was ridiculously good and played the best baseball ever seen by a Yankees second baseman. He hit .312/.373/.533 with 117 homers, a 142 wRC+, and recorded the second-highest fWAR in all of baseball during that four-year stretch, behind only the otherworldly Miguel Cabrera. Although he struggled in 2012 (when they probably wouldn't have even made the playoffs had he not hit over .600 in the last week of regular season play), he absolutely carried the offense during the 2010 and 2011 playoffs, especially in the 2010 ALCS when he slugged four homers against the Rangers. The Yankees might have been swept without Cano.
Cano stayed amazingly healthy, too. He went on the 15-day DL with a hamstring strain in '06 and never had to return to the DL again. From 2007-2013, he averaged an unbelievable 160 games per year, missing just 14 games overall in seven years, an especially crazy feat considering how many playoff games were typically added to his workload. Yet despite his health, people still nitpicked Cano's style of play since he didn't always hustle down to first base on routine grounders. It's an annoying quibble since Cano not destroying himself on obvious outs likely helped keep him so healthy, and it was also mind-numbing that people complained about it even though he was such an amazingly productive player regardless. Ben Lindbergh put it best in a well-researched article at Deadspin regarding Cano not always "busting it out of the box":
We don't know how much running all out increases a player's injury risk, but if the difference is significant, it makes sense to take it easy. Cano's lone DL stint came when he strained his hamstring while attempting to leg out a double in 2006. Maybe he took that as a warning. If so, it's worked out well: He's played in at least 159 games for seven straight years. (Jeter, of course, has been durable too, though he did strain a calf by running hard to first last season, even after Joe Girardi asked him nicely not to.)
If all we know about a player is that he doesn't sprint to first, it might be fair to wonder about his work ethic. But Long, who's worked with Cano closely, praises his effort in other areas. So, memo to Mariners fans. When you see your new superstar plodding down the line, remember what's at stake: only four singles a season—four singles that could come with a cost in playing time. Then ask yourself this: Would you rather have slow Cano now or risk a lot of Bloomquist later?
It just wasn't relevant enough to really incite such furor from fans, especially when Cano was putting up crazy numbers at the plate anyway. Perhaps it was this mixed reaction from the fans on this topic that led to such ambivalence and even vitriol when Cano ended up signing with the Mariners during the 2013-14 off-season on a monster 10-year, $240 million deal.
Although the Yankees and Cano never seemed close at all on future extension talks following his first extension in February '08, or in his couple months of free agency, it also didn't seem possible that Cano would leave the Yankees. Then suddenly, there was word that the Mariners wanted to make a big splash in free agency, and just a few days later, it was revealed that Cano had signed with the Mariners. Many Yankees fans were bitter that he chased the money, neglecting that the Yankees themselves had plucked homegrown players from other franchises for decades using the same strategy, and that the Mariners offered Cano about 65 million more reasons and two more contract years to join them.
I can't blame Cano. I can't blame the Yankees for not wanting to offer him that contract. It just sucks that tomorrow night, I'll have to deal with seeing my favorite player of all-time suiting up at Yankee Stadium in a Mariners uniform. It's a feeling exactly like other fans have when the Yankees snatch away their favorite homegrown players, and while I had an idea of the difficulties these other fans faced in accepting it, I now truly recognize the overall melancholy.
I'm not able to go to Yankee Stadium tomorrow night, but if I did, I would cheer for him when he first stepped up to bat. The awkward divorce from the team doesn't matter. He gave the Yankees likely the best years of his career and gave fans such joy throughout his tenure in the Bronx, that it makes no sense to me to boo him just because someone offered him a helluva lot more money and that he didn't sometimes didn't hustle on routine grounders or whatever. I miss Robbie, and I will probably always miss Robbie. Yet life moves on, the game continues, and I anxiously await the next Robbie to become my favorite player.
Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from April 28th.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 10-8 vs. Durham Bulls
RF Ramon Flores 2-6, double, RBI, BB, 3 K, SB 3B Zelous Wheeler 3-6, double, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K - first homer, batting .440 this season SS Dean Anna 1-5, BB, K, HBP LF Zoilo Almonte 3-7, double, HR, 4 RBI, 2 K - sixth homer of the season CF Adonis Garcia 2-7, double, 2 SB, E8 - fielding error, first of the season 1B Russ Canzler 1-5, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K DH Ronnier Mustelier 1-7, RBI, 3 K, SB 2B Jose Pirela 2-6, double, RBI, 3 K C Francisco Arcia 2-5, double, RBI, K, HBP, passed ball, E2 - throwing error, second of the season
Alfredo Aceves 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R/3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, WP - 56 of 94 pitches for strikes Yoshinori Tateyama 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Matt Daley 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, hit batsman Robert Coello 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K Jim Miller 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Double-A Trenton Thunder:W 2-1 vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats
CF Mason Williams 1-4, BB, K DH Ben Gamel 1-5, K 3B Rob Segedin 1-4, K C Gary Sanchez 2-4, E2 - throwing error (3rd), batting .310 this season 1B Kyle Roller 1-4, 2 K, E3 - fielding error, second of the season 2B Rob Refsnyder 0-4, K, 3 E4 - two throwing errors, one fielding error (3rd, 4th, 5th) RF Yeral Sanchez 2-4 LF Taylor Dugas 1-3, triple, RBI, BB, K, SB - batting .279 this season SS Ali Castillo 0-3, BB, 2 K
Zach Nuding 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, pickoff, WP - 63 of 100 pitches for strikes Taylor Garrison 3 IP, 0 H, 1 R/0 ER, 2 BB, K Cole Kimball 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB
CF Jake Cave 1-4 SS Brendan Ryan 1-3, RBI, BB, K C Peter O'Brien 0-4, 2 K 3B Dante Bichette Jr. 1-4, E5 - throwing error (1st), batting .303 this season 2B Angelo Gumbs 1-4, SB DH Cito Culver 0-4, 2 K - batting .215 this season LF Zach Wilson 2-4, double, 2 RBI, K 1B Reymond Nunez 0-4, K RF Jose Toussen 2-3, double, OF assist
Dan Camarena 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R/2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, pickoff - 2/4 GO/AO Zach Woods 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K James Pazos 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Based on the start to his season, it may be time to revise our expectations.
Things are all bright and shiny these days in The Bronx. Being in first place by 2.5 games will certainly make everything seem that much better and there are even more reasons to stay optimistic aside from just the current standings. In addition to their fine play, it seems that the Yankees may be fortunate enough to have Mark Teixeira back as a reasonable facsimile of his former All-Star self. His triumphant home run on Sunday night was the topper to what has been a solid return from the disabled list for the veteran first baseman. I admit that I had assumed the worst about Teixeira's prospects for the future due to his wrist issues but he looks as thought he may still have plenty to offer.
Teixeira's defensive usefulness was never really in question, so at the bare minimum his return pushing Kelly Johnson and a motley crew of others off of first base does wonders for the Yankees cohesiveness as a defensive unit. His offensive output was the obvious question and strange comments about retiring rather than going to the opposite field did not fill me with confidence. But in an extremely small sample size, I've seen good signs. The best is his traditionally keen batting eye is still present in the form of a 18.2% walk rate. The average is low (.229) and the slugging percentage is below his career norms (.429 versus .525) , but a first baseman that gets on base constantly and plays good defense would be good enough for me. His ZiPS projection has him slated for a 123 wRC+, which seems downright achievable now as opposed to when he was on the DL and things were not looking so great.
And perhaps the average and power will come, as it's been noted ad nauseum that Teixeira is a traditionally slow starter. But actually being useful offensively in April like on Sunday is a definite step up from what we've become accustomed to from Teixeira. Hopefully that wrist won't betray him, but it's always going to be the cloud that looms over him even when he is playing well. But we'll worry about that when/if it happens. For now, the Yankees can feel somewhat comfortable with their first base situation for the first time in a long time.
The Yankees infield is laughably bad without a good version of Mark Teixeira, but upgraded all the way to "kind of crummy" if he hits to a moderate degree. It's an important development for both this season and the immediate future that Teixeira seems to have plenty some left in the gas tank. Now if Derek Jeter could a hit little more on his own, the infield really might not be a disaster. I don't possess such delusions of possibility for Brian Roberts.
Injured players get better, better players get injured, one former-future star loses his mind, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Injury rehab takes center stage in the latest edition of Mark Sheldon's notebook for Reds.com, which, I suppose, is better than the breaking-injury editions he's had to cover for most of the Spring. The best news, as was noted by Weezy Cheese in today's Farmer's Only, is that Skip Schumaker has rubbed some dirt on his once-bum shoulder and returned to baseballing at AAA Louisville; the sort-of good news involves Mat Latos, who hasn't hit any additional setbacks since the last setback that followed the setback before that and the original bone-chip removal that started his offseason from hell, and that's got him on target to possibly be back with the Reds by the end of the month; and the sort-of kind-of good news details how Jack Hannahan - whose offseason surgery was apparently kept secret to everyone, for some reason - may or may not be healthy enough to start hitting again in May. Also included in Sheldon's roundup is a blurb on the strike-zone prowess of Joey Votto, who apparently has collected all of his 2014 hits off pitches in the zone. He will never not amaze me.
Speaking of Reds notebooks, C. Trent Rosecrans put one together yesterday evening, and while it has similar notes regarding the rehab progresses of Schumaker and Hannahan, respectively, there is also some follow-up with manager Bryan Price regarding the replay fiasco that got him ejected from Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves. As much as the commissioner and MLB itself want replay to be a non-issue, that's just not going to be the case. It's going to be an evolving issue as the league, the managers, and the umpires in charge become more experienced with the process, and it's obvious that Price plans to be on the vocal side efforting for continued improvement of the system. If that means better camera footage, better communication, and - most importantly - actually getting the calls right, then I'm pro-Price-being-pro-replay-evolution.
Bryce Harper has a torn ligament in his thumb, and his surgery and DL-stint adds another high-profile MLB player to the now-extensive list of those on the shelf. I know that injuries happen every year to every team and that there are always stars involved, but for some reason it seems as if 2014 has been an even more extraordinary year for it. The list of players that have missed at least a couple of games due to injury/ailment is a veritable who's who of the league, as guys like Kershaw, Kemp, Puig, Hanley, Crawford, Hamilton, Beltre, Trumbo, Corbin, Harrison, Latos, Chapman, Cargo, Cuddyer, Moore, Hellickson, Mesoraco, Iglesias, Machado, Davis, Hardy, Segura, Braun*, Hamels, Minor, Medlen, Sale, Zimmerman, and now Harper have each been banged up to varying degrees before the end of the month of April. I'm sure there are a handful of other stars I overlooked, too, like the 8% of the over-35 club of the New York Yankees who have missed time...though that might actually be more than one handful. It has been a skosh ridiculous.
