Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

Yankees News

Baseball America | Matt Eddy: Yankees catching prospect Peter O`Brien makes the All-Prospect team for the month of April after hitting eight home runs.

ESPN | Darren Rovell: Tommy John is selling autographed copies of the original MRI of his elbow for charity.

New York Daily News | John Harper: Dellin Betances has become one of the best strikeout relievers in the game.

Pinstripe Pundits | Derek Albin: A look at how the value of prospects Eric Wooten and Caleb Smith have improved in 2014.

The Times-Tribune | Shane Hennigan: Scott Sizemore talks about his time with the RailRiders and the Yankees.

New York Times | Jorge Arangure Jr.: Mark Teixeira seems to be figuring things out now.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Joe Girardi has been impressed by Jacoby Ellsbury and John Ryan Murphy.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand:CC Sabathia is not happy with performance yesterday either.

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from May 4th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 16-2 vs. Norfolk Tides

RF Ramon Flores 2-5, HR, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K
CF Antoan Richardson 2-3, double, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SB, HBP, E8 - fielding error, third of the season
SS Dean Anna 3-5, 2 doubles, triple, 3 RBI, BB
LF Zoilo Almonte 3-5, double, 2 RBI, BB, SB
3B Zelous Wheeler 1-5, BB, K
DH Adonis Garcia 2-5, K, HBP
1B Corban Joseph 2-6, double, 2 RBI
2B Jose Pirela 2-5, double, 2 RBI
C Austin Romine 1-5, double, RBI

Joel De La Cruz 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, E1 - 53 of 84 pitches for strikes
Diego Moreno 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Robert Coello 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 3-5 vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels

LF Taylor Dugas 0-2, BB, K, HBP
SS Brendan Ryan 0-4
CF Ben Gamel 0-4
C Gary Sanchez 1-4, HR, RBI, passed ball - fourth homer of the season
2B Rob Refsnyder 1-4, double
DH Carmen Angelini 0-4, K
RF Yeral Sanchez 2-3, RBI
1B Dan Fiorito 1-3, double
3B Ali Castillo 0-3

Manny Banuelos 3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K, hit batsman - 35 of 58 pitches for strikes
Cole Kimball 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Manny Barreda 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, E1 - pickoff error
Aaron Dott 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 3-4 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays

CF Jake Cave 2-4, HR, RBI, K - first homer of the season
SS Cito Culver 1-4, K
3B Eric Jagielo 1-4
DH Dante Bichette Jr. 1-4, double, 2 K - batting .297/.316/.541 over his last 10 games
C Peter O'Brien 1-3, K, HBP
RF Zach Wilson  1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K - second homer of the season
2B Angelo Gumbs 0-4, 3 K
1B Reymond Nunez 0-3, K
LF Cody Grice 0-3, 2 K

Miguel Sulbaran 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K, E1, hit batsman - 5/4 GO/AO
Alex Smith 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, K, WP
Dietrich Enns 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Phil Wetherell 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, K, WP

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 3-0 vs. Delmarva Shorebirds

SS Abiatal Avelino 2-4, double - batting .300/.300/.400 over his last 10 games
2B Tyler Wade 0-4, 2 K
RF Aaron Judge 0-3, BB, K
1B Mike Ford 1-3, double, BB
3B Miguel Andujar 0-4, RBI, K
CF Michael O'Neill 0-4, 2 K
DH Gosuke Katoh 0-3, BB, K, SB
C Kale Sumner 1-2, double, 2 BB
LF John Murphy 1-4, RBI, K

Caleb Smith 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K - 46 of 67 pitches for strikes
Giovanny Gallegos 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Aceves pitched extremely well in Sunday's game. Could he end up replacing Phelps or Nuno in the rotation?

Never in a million years would I have thought that Alfredo Aceves might find his way into the Yankees' rotation, and yet here we are. After the dreadful extra-innings loss to the Rays the other day, the Yankees DFA'd Chris Leroux and called up Aceves. He made his debut in Sunday's game, when he came in to relieve CC Sabathia in the 4th inning. Aside from a weird moment in the 5th inning where everyone gathered around the mound to try and figure out if Aceves had a leg injury (he didn't!), Aceves had an excellent outing. He pitched 5.1 scoreless innings and struck out five batters while giving up only three hits without walking anyone.

If he continues to pitch this way, Aceves just might earn himself a spot in the rotation. With Ivan Nova out for the season, and Michael Pineda expected to be out for at least another month, Vidal Nuno and David Phelps have joined the rotation. Although Phelps has yet to have an official start, he has not been pitching great as a reliever so far. In 11.2 innings, he's allowed 10 hits, 5 runs, 3 home runs, and 7 walks. He's also struck out 16, giving him an ERA of 3.86 and a 1.46 WHIP. Furthermore, Phelps has not pitched more than 2 innings this season (and hasn't been in a game since April 23), so he's only expected to pitch 5 innings in tonight's start. If Phelps is terrible, Aceves could just take his next start, especially since he's already stretched out.

Then there's Nuno. Since joining the rotation, Nuno has had one excellent start, followed by two blah starts. On April 20th, he shutout the Rays for five innings while allowing just three hits and striking out 6. He hasn't even stayed in the game for five innings in either of his last two starts. During his last two starts (9 IP), Nuno gave up 7 runs, 2 home runs, 5 walks and struck out 6 batters. Depending on how Phelps looks tonight, it might be better for Aceves to take Nuno's spot. Of course, the Yankees could just wait a few weeks and see if Aceves continues to perform like he did in Sunday's game, but sending Phelps and Nuno off to pitch against the Angels and Brewers is kind of scary.

Do you think Aceves will end up in the rotation at some point, and that Nuno or Phelps would be better off in the bullpen?

After a pretty dismal series against the Rays, the Yankees are out west to face the Angels. David Phelps gets the start, because that's what you want to stay up till 1AM to see. Might be better than what we saw from CC yesterday. The PSA DP is your Open Thread till the game begins.

Mood music: Late in the Evening by Paul Simon

Nothing quite gets you ready to take a 6-7 hour flight to the West Coast like a heaping tall glass of blah. In this series against the Rays, the Yankees offense went from "wet sloth" to "soaring eagle" to "polar bear on a scorching hot summer's day in the zoo." Now they're heading for Anaheim. Yay.

5/4/14 Daily Prediction Answers

The Aardvarks hate flying on a plane, so they decided to contact their west coast mathematicians to help them out for the next three day. Pamela & Paula Playtpus will be crunching the numbers and taking no prisoners while the Yankees are in Anaheim. Meanwhile, they are sad to announce that no one won yesterday. However it is still a woman's world in the Daily Yankees Predictions thread this month, as previous winners Blanky & Caitlin tied for the top spot. Sadly, they only tied with 1,000 points. Shockingly, no one picked Alfredo Aceves to be the Best overall Yankee of the night.

5/5/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions

What is your favorite clothing accessory?

Prefered computer: Desktop or Laptop?

Fill in the blank: ...and your meal comes with soup or salad. "I'd like the _______ please!"

Cruises: Relaxing fun way to travel or floating biohazards not worth your money?

Well with the Yankees on the west coast for the next three days, that should give PSAers plenty of time for predictions. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on the Third Rock from the Sun in the Milky Way are never really fun to play in Anaheim. Play them there they must though. David Phelps will get the start for the Yankees tonight. Aceves just gave the Yankees 5.1 innings of three hits, no walk, five strikeouts, shutout baseball. Phelps might want to consider pitching well if he wants to keep his starter job. Oh god, look what we're discussing. These are interesting times.

go yankees go you are #1

Tonight, the Yankees play out west in Anaheim, which not so long ago was a match-up that even made the Joe Torre era Yankees feel uneasy.

The Yankees have always seemed to have somewhat-surprising AL West rivals at various points throughout their history. For most of the first 20 years of divisional play, it was the Kansas City Royals, who they often brawled with and played four intense playoff series against from 1976-80. When both teams began to fade in the late '80s, the rivalry died down and soon the Yankees were in a different sort of rivalry against the amazing Oakland Athletics teams from 1988-92. The Yankees were awful and the A's absolutely destroyed them, winning 16 games in a row against them at one point. When the Yankees rebounded, their biggest AL West rival was the previously-poor Seattle Mariners, an often-heated clash which was chronicled last week. Toward the end of that stretch in the early 2000s, the Yankees also played some tight match-ups with the Athletics again, this time when both teams were good and they met in two tight playoff series in 2000 and 2001.

For most of the 2000s though, the Yankees' biggest non-AL East rival has been the Los Angeles Angels. Thanks to All-Stars like Tim Salmon, Troy Glaus, Darin Erstad, and Garret Anderson, then-Anaheim Angels held the remarkable feat of being the only team to have a winning record against the Yankees during Joe Torre's managerial as tenure from 1996-2007. The Yankees went to the playoffs every season of that 12-year stretch, winning 10 AL East titles, six AL pennants, and four World Series championships, but they could just never seem to play well against the Angels, led by manager Mike Scioscia since 2000. Including two playoff series, the Angels went 67-58 in games against the Yankees, including a remarkable 34-28 mark at Yankee Stadium. For whatever reason, the Angels just had their number.

2002 ALDS

The rivalry faced its biggest spotlight in 2002, when the Yankees entered a Division Series match-up with the Angels as arguably the best team in baseball. Already in a high run-scoring environment, the Yankees' offense had the biggest bats of them all, as they scored an MLB-best 897 runs, averaging 5.6 runs per game with 223 total homers. Frequently forgotten about that team is that they had tremendous pitching, too. Their 3.87 ERA was fourth in the AL and their 3.62 FIP was the league's best. Their starting rotation in the playoff series was daunting, to say the least: Roger Clemens/Andy Pettitte/Mike Mussina/David Wells. They romped to the AL East title with 103 victories, their most since the incomparable 114-win season in '98. Although they had lost the World Series in 2001, they had still won four AL pennants in a row, a streak matched by just four other teams in baseball history.

The Yankees were the heavy favorites, but perhaps they underestimated the Angels, who were playing in their first playoff series in 16 years. Although the Moneyball A's were the story of baseball that year with their record 20-game winning streak, the Angels challenged them for the division title anyway. Oakland had to win over 100 games to clinch the division, as the Angels finished with the second-greatest record ever for a Wild Card team: 99-63. Their offense bashed line drives all over the places, and they finished a couple earned runs shy of the best ERA in the league. In Game 1, they played the Yankees as tough as they had throughout the Torre era, coming back to tie the score on three occasions and taking a brief eighth inning lead before Bernie Williams slugged the decisive three-run homer off Brendan Donnelly in the bottom half to give the Yankees a victory. It was an exciting game that seemed to hearken back to Yankees playoff wins of years past. It would also be the last victory the Yankees would have in 2002.

The next day, the Angels showed their mettle by jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead against Pettitte, knocking him out of the game in the fourth. The Yankees, undaunted, came right back and snatched a 5-4 advantage by the sixth inning. Playoff veteran Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez had stifled the Angels for four innings entering the eighth. Suddenly, he left a couple pitches up and that led to Anderson and Glaus going back-to-back off him. The Angels ended up winning the game and stealing home-field advantage. The Yankees came out swinging in Game 3 against Ramon Ortiz, running the score up to 6-1 by the third inning. Mussina and Jeff Weaver could not hold it, as the relentless Angels offense caught up to the Yankees and completed the comeback victory with big hits from Erstad and Salmon in the eighth against Mike Stanton and Steve Karsay. Yankees batters were hopeless against newcomer Francisco Rodriguez and closer Troy Percival. Fighting for their lives in Game 4, the Yankees cautiously carried a 2-1 lead into the fifth, but the normally-reliable Wells completely fell apart in an eight-run inning for the Angels. The rout was on, and despite some late Yankee runs, the Angels wound up winning, 9-5, shocking the baseball world with an emphatic four-game victory over the seemingly unstoppable Yankees.

They of course went on to win the ALCS against the Twins and a seven-game classic over the Giants in the World Series for the franchise's first (and so far only) championship. It was the first of four first-round exits the Yankees made during the 2000s. The Angels would be the cause of another.

2005 ALDS

Three years later, the Yankees and Angels met for a rematch with several of teams' main components still intact, though the Yankees' offense was now supplemented by Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield. The Angels failed to make the playoffs as defending champions in '03 and despite adding AL MVP Vladimir Guerrero, they were swept out of the Division Series in three games by the Red Sox in '04. This '05 match-up between two 95-win teams and division winners was expected to be just as tight as it was in '02, and both teams met expectations. The Yankees scored three runs in the very first inning in Anaheim on a bases-loaded double by rookie second baseman Robinson Cano off Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon, and Mussina and the bullpen made it hold up. Rookie starter Chien-Ming Wang and John Lackey played to a 2-2 tie through six innings in Game 2, but a two-run single by Orlando Cabrera in the seventh gave the Angels a 4-2 lead. Both teams added solo homers, but now-closer Rodriguez saved the 5-3 win, sending the series back to Yankee Stadium with the teams split.

The Yankees were the favorites to win Game 3, given that they had Hall of Fame lefty Randy Johnson pitching for them. Acquired in the off-season to give them a legitimate lefty ace, the Yankees hoped the Johnson who dominated them in the '95 ALDS with the Mariners and the '01 World Series with the Diamondbacks would now do so for them. Unfortunately, he did not rise to the challenge--Anderson and catcher Bengie Molina both slugged homers against him, and the "Big Unit" was knocked out of the game in the fourth, trailing 5-0. To the Yankees' credit, they came back with a vengeance against Paul Byrd, Donnelly, and Scot Shields, scoring four in the fifth and two in the sixth to take a 6-5 lead. "Unbeatable" starter-turned-playoff reliever Aaron Small could not hold the lead though, as he gave up four hits and two runs to give the Angels a lead they would not surrender. They won 11-7, forcing the Yankees to the brink of elimination again. Behind 6 1/3 surprising four-hit, two-run innings from Shawn Chacon in Game 4 and clutch hits from Sheffield and pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra, the Yankees forced a Game 5 in Anaheim with a 3-2 victory. Sadly for the Yankees, Game 5 could be summed up in one video:

With two outs in the bottom of the second and the Yankees up, 2-1, Adam Kennedy hit a long fly toward right-center field, where neither Sheffield or center fielder Bubba Crosby properly called the ball. They collided, the two-run triple fell, and the Angels went on top. Against Rodriguez in the ninth, the Yankees put the tying run in scoring position with two outs for Hideki Matsui, but "Godzilla" grounded out to first base to end the game. The Angels had beaten the Yankees yet again, though this time, they too fell in the playoffs when the White Sox beat them in a five-game ALCS.

2009 ALCS

Redemption did eventually come to the Yankees for these two agonizing playoff losses, but it would take four years, a managerial change, a move across the street, and most importantly some crucial new free agent additions. In 2009, Joe Girardi was now at the helm. The Yankees recovered from missing the playoffs in '08 to win 103 games in '09, in great part thanks to free agent signings CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, who had played half a season with the Angels in '08. The Angels were no slouches in '09 either, recovering from the heart-wrenching death of young pitcher Nick Adenhart in April to win 97 games and their third straight AL West title. They had their own vengeance to pick in the ALDS, as the Red Sox had ousted them two years in a row, losing only one game in the process. Thanks to some excellent pitching from Lackey and Jered Weaver, and a blown save by Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, the Angels turned the tables with a three-game sweep to move on to the ALCS, where they met the Yankees, who swept the Twins.

This would be the first time the Yankees and Angels had met in a best-of-seven series, and the Yankees got off to a very promising start. A brain lock by the Angels infield led to two early runs in Game 1:

New ace Sabathia was spectacular, limiting the Angels to just four hits and one run over eight innings before Mariano Rivera closed the door on the 4-1 victory. The second game would be even closer, as behind solid efforts from A.J. Burnett, Joe Saunders, and the bullpens, the two teams played to a 2-2 tie after 10 innings. The Angels took a one-run lead in the 11th on an RBI single by Chone Figgins, but with a chance to knot the series up at a game apiece, Brian Fuentes blew the save as resurgent playoff hero A-Rod took him deep to the short porch in right field, his third late-game, game-tying homer of the playoffs:

The marathon continued until the 13th inning, when Angels second baseman Maicer Izturis threw a potential double play away and Jerry Hairston Jr. scooted home with the winning run. Two days later, the Angels and Yankees played another extra-innings battle, cued when Jorge Posada hit a game-tying eighth inning homer against Kevin Jepsen. After two quick outs by David Robertson in the 11th, Girardi made the curious decision to remove him in favor of Aceves, who promptly surrendered a single to Howie Kendrick and a walk-off double to light-hitting backup catcher Jeff Mathis. Girardi faced scrutiny after the game and the Angels were back in the series.

Any momentum the Angels held after Game 3 was quickly extinguished by Sabathia. Despite pitching on three days' rest, the big lefty showed no ill effects and somehow managed to duplicate his Game 1 performance with eight innings of one-run ball. The Yankees destroyed Scott Kazmir and won 10-1 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Angels stayed alive with a narrow 7-6 comeback victory in Game 5, sending the series back to New York, but Pettitte was superb in his Game 6 start. The Yankees gave him a two-run lead in the fourth, and the veteran lefty tossed 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Rivera closed it out with a two-inning save, and he struck out Gary Matthews Jr. to clinch the pennant and at last avenge the two previous playoff losses:

The Yankees won the World Series over the Phillies for their 27th title. The Angels have yet to return to the post-season since '09. Since '09, the Yankees have played a little better than previously against the Angels, winning 20 of 36 regular season games entering tonight. Let's hope this era of somewhat-more reliable success against the Angels continues.

Deal with it.

Five consecutive walks in the bottom of the eighth inning tell a boxscore's tale. But one tall gentleman's fight is the real story tonight. With three runs late, the Angels break open a theretofore tight game and give a scrappy, resilient Weaver the win. Angels topple Yankees, 4-1.

Phelps was good, but Weaver was even better. 

As the Angels front office and a largely pro-Yankee crowd at the Big A French'd the Jeter on Monday night, Weaver put English on the ball and, just like Mexican General Zaragoza at Puebla, reminded an old evil empire what a little Western start-up resistance can do. Say hello to my little arm-y, boys!

And it would be fairly apt to trot out the diminutives when talking about Weaver's arm tonight. Like my Spanglish, "muy poquito", equal parts funky and practical, he spewed largely junk, with his two-seam fastball averaging 85-86 mph most of the night. But his "no seamer" showed more movement than we've seen previously this season, and his offspeed stuff was often on-target, inducing some ugly swings, especially with the 77 mph change he managed to place both high and low in the zone. "Late action" and great satisfaction, through eight wickedly-woven innings.

David Phelps, Yankee swingman, was impressive through five and a third. He gave up only three hits, and his first run didn’t come until the fifth, when the Angels drew first blood on a Howie Kendrick triple and an Ian Stewart groundout. That would be enough to chase the erstwhile New York reliever, 87 pitches in, and leave the Bombers' fate in battle to their generally solid (tied for 3rd in the MLB in pitching WAR) relief crew.

It would take until the top of the seventh before the Yankees would return the favor, but score they did. Jeter led off the seventh with a double down the leftfield line on the first pitch he saw. The crowd went wild, and one would have thought the momentum was all Yankees now. Sure enough, Ellsbury hit a 71 mph curveball to second and advanced Jeter to third. Weaver goes to the full wind-up, and the ever-amusing MLB Gameday Scout drops the best one-liner of the night: "Jered Weaver has thrown 80 pitches but has plenty left in the tank, with his fastball sitting at 86 over the past 10 pitches." Haha, indeed. Next pitch, Weaver leaves a 78 mph changeup up in the zone, and Teixeira doesn't miss it. Linedrive, and Jeter is plated.

But it wouldn't be enough. The Angels wore 'em down down the stretch.

For folks watching in the eighth, it didn't necessarily look like it'd play that way from the start. Weaver looked tired and a wee bit wild in the top of the inning. The Yankees got their leadoff man on in Kelly Johnson immediately with a single to right. Howie tried to make a superman catch, but couldn’t stretch out enough, and one could feel the blame game coming on in its windup phase. Things got worse when Aybar nearly made an amazing play on Brian Roberts, gloved the ball, and then lost it on a circus somersault. Two men on, no outs, and things are looking pretty grim. Then, crap bedone, Ian Stewart blew the bunt retrieval (looking surprised that Ichiro would bunt!), and the bases are suddenly loaded with the old men of the North coming to the plate. I don't mean Robert Redford, but all indeed looked lost at that moment.

But no. Weaver the Elder took the mound, chin up, and with a plan to be had and hatched. After throwing a dazzling array of offspeed muck to the Yanks all evening, Jered threw only fastballs to Brett Gardner (0-for-4 on the evening), topping out at an unprecedented 88 mph, and struck him out on four pitches. Then whaddya know, it's the pre-scripted hero of the night, Sir Derek "Let You Paint Me a Portrait" Jeter, marching up to the plate to bust the game open for the Yanks as any honest Angels fan expected him to. But, as my one-year-old daughter says when she's trying to demonstrate something nifty and ta-da the crowd: "ta-ta!" Goodbye, good sir.

The Yankee captain hits into a double play on the first pitch he sees. The crowd goes wild, for the Angels this time (and for the first time on the night) and so does Weaver, roaring like a lion. A really pottymouthed lion.

And. F*cking. A.

You can light it up, because it really doesn't matter what happened in the bottom of the eighth. The game was won right there.

Another day, another ugly loss. It's tough to know whether the Yankees offense was stopped dead by an effective Jered Weaver or if the Yankees are just really bad right now. The Angels ace went eight innings, striking out seven batters, allowing six hits, one walk, and, most importantly, only one run.

David Phelps competed with Weaver and held his own against the Angels for 5.1 innings. He wasn't great, but he was rather effective by striking out three, walking one, allowing three hits and only one run. The Angels scored the first run of the game in the fifth inning when Howie Kendrick hit a triple that raddled around the right field wall and Ichiro Suzuki let it ricochet past him. Ian Stewart grounded out on the next play to score the first run of the game. Adam Warren replaced Phelps in the sixth and went on to pitch 1.2 innings, allowing a hit and striking out a batter.

The offense was kept completely inept against Weaver with one hit from Derek Jeter and a walk from Tex over the first six innings. The Yankees didn't get their next hit until the seventh inning when Jeter doubled down the left field line. Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to move Jeter to third and Mark Teixeira knocked him in with a single to finally break through against Weaver. The run tied the game 1–1, but it also tied Jeter with Tris Speaker for 11th place on the all-time runs scored list with 1,882.

The Yankees challenged Weaver again in the eighth when they loaded the bases on singles from Kelly Johnson, Brian Roberts, and a bunt base hit from Ichiro. Then we went nuclear. Joe Girardi got heated after a questionable strike call against Brett Gardner. The Yankees manager went into berserker mode, got ejected for arguing balls and strikes, and then stayed out there for a few minutes to give home plate umpire Laz Diaz a piece of his mind.

@PSA_GIFs

Unfortunately, Gardner then went on to strikeout and Derek Jeter grounded into a double play to end a bases loaded, no-outs situation without scoring a run.

After the Yankees offense failed, so did the pitching. It started when Shawn Kelley came in and walked Collin Cowgill; innocent enough. After getting to two outs, he was ordered to intentionally walk Albert Pujols and then he lost the strike zone. He walked Raul Ibanez and Howie Kendrick to force in a run and make it a 2–1 game. Kelley was taken out of (and then promptly ejected from) the game for Matt Thornton, who then walked John McDonald to add another run. Preston Claiborne was brought in and he walked in a run too before it finally ended. If you want to keep track at home, that's a rally comprised of six straight walks and nothing else.

The Yankees' defense was pretty bad as well. Ichiro made two misplays in one inning; the aforementioned blunder with the ball along the wall, and a fly ball that he completely misjudged which landed several feet in front of him. Mark Teixeira also allowed a ground ball to bounce directly through his legs for an error. That's actually already his fourth error of the season, a mark he hasn't gone over since 2008. To give you the most crystal clearest of pictures, they stunk all over. If you missed this game because you were sleeping and/or sane, consider yourself a winner.

Sign of a true professional:

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

Yankees News

Fangraphs | Mike Petriello: This will shed some light on why CC Sabathia has been so bad, but also so good at the same time.

Minor League Ball | John Sickels: Rookie Davis and Caleb Smith are sleeper prospects for the 2014 season.

Yahoo! Sports | Jeff Passan: Scouts take a stab at figuring out what's wrong with Derek Jeter.

New York Post | Ken Davidoff: After another poor start, the Yankees can't continue to play off CC Sabathia's struggles for much longer.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Arguments for and against dropping Derek Jeter in the lineup

NoMaas | SJK: Caleb Smith and Kyle Roller are the Yankees prospects of the week again.

It's About the Money | Brad Vietrogoski: The Yankees have brought Alfredo Aceves back for a second chance.

LoHud | Chad Jennings:Mark Teixeira is turning a corner as he heads back to Angels Stadium, where his season ended last year.

CBS Sports | Jon Heyman: Mark Teixeira has seen his stock rise while Derek Jeter's has dropped.

It's About the Money | Tamar Chalker: Gary Sanchez, Dante Bichette, and Peter O`Brien are some of the hottest Yankees from the month of April.

MLB.com | Spencer Fordin: The City of New York honored Mariano Rivera by renaming part of River Avenue to Rivera Avenue.

Baseball America | Ben Badler: How do the Yankees stack up in the amateur international prospect arena?

Mo's new book settles the age-old debate once and for all.

Dustin Pedroia or Robinson Cano? That's been a question Red Sox and Yankees fans have debated since both saw their careers take off in spectacular fashion. It's also one that you probably won't see much discussion of anymore, now that Cano has headed west to Seattle and the Mariners. Retired Yankees legend Mariano Rivera cast his vote for his preferred second baseman in his new book "The Closer", though, and he picked Pedroia over former teammate Cano.

The New York Daily News has the excerpts in question:

Rivera says Red Sox Dustin Pedroia is "at the top of the list" of players he admires, adding: "Nobody plays harder, gives more, wants to win more. He comes at you hard for twenty-seven outs. It's a special thing to see."

He later writes, "If I have to win one game, I'd have a hard time taking anybody over Dustin Pedroia as my second baseman."

Pedroia is basically out of his mind with a desire to be on the field, and it's obviously apparent to the opposition as well. Seeing Rivera, who had been in the league over parts of three decades, appreciate someone like Pedey is wonderful, but not altogether shocking. What's maybe a surprise is that Rivera put down Cano in the same book:

"This guy has so much talent I don't know where to start... There is no doubt that he is a Hall-of-Fame caliber (player). It's just a question of whether he finds the drive you need to get there. I don't think Robby burns to be the best... You don't see that red-hot passion in him that you see in most elite players."

Rivera wouldn't be the first Yankee to claim Cano doesn't go all-in -- hitting coach Kevin Long has spoken unfavorably of Cano in these regards in the past, and there were whispers this past off-season that the Yankees didn't want to commit Mariners' money* to a player they didn't think would give it his all. Those are unsubstantiated, of course, but this is the city of Derek Jeter we're talking about.

*Now there's a weird phrase.

Regardless of hustle, we probably shouldn't be surprised that Rivera prefers Dustin Pedroia to Robinson Cano. Mo is a Yankee to the end: he probably just counted the rings.

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from May 5th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 7-6 vs. Indianapolis Indians

CF Antoan Richardson 0-4, BB, 2 K, SB
3B Scott Sizemore 1-5, RBI
LF Zoilo Almonte 2-4, K
RF Adonis Garcia 1-4, OF assist
SS Zelous Wheeler 1-4
1B Russ Canzler 3-3, double, RBI, BB
DH Ronnier Mustelier 2-4, double
2B Jose Pirela 2-4, triple, 3 RBI
C Austin Romine 2-4, HR, 2 RBI - first homer of the season

Shane Greene 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R/0 ER, BB, 4 K, E1 - 43 of 67 pitches for strikes
Yoshinori Tateyama 2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Jim Miller 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K
Matt Daley 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, K

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 2-3 (10 innings) vs. New Britain Rock Cats

CF Mason Williams 1-4, RBI, BB, K, SB - batting .210 this season
LF Ben Gamel 1-5, 3 K
3B Rob Segedin 0-5, K
C Gary Sanchez 1-5, RBI, K - batting .282/.349/.564 over his last 10 games
1B Kyle Roller 1-4, double, K
SS Carmen Angelini 1-4, double, K
RF Yeral Sanchez 1-4, double, 2 K
DH Taylor Dugas 2-3, double, K, HBP
2B Ali Castillo 1-4, K, SB

Caleb Cotham 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K - 45 of 69 pitches for strikes
Pat Venditte 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Tyler Webb 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, WP

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 3-8 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays

CF Jake Cave 3-5, CS - batting .326/.341/.419 over his last 10 games
SS Cito Culver 0-4, BB, 2 K - batting .211 this season
3B Eric Jagielo 1-5, double, 3 K
DH Dante Bichette Jr. 1-3, BB, K
C Peter O'Brien 1-4, 2 K - batting .333 this season
LF Zach Wilson 1-3, HR, RBI, BB, K - third homer of the season
2B Angelo Gumbs 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K - first homer of the season
1B Reymond Nunez 2-4, K
RF Jose Toussen 1-4, 3 K

Conner Kendrick 3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, WP - 4/1 GO/AO
Eric Ruth 4 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Kyle Haynes 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 4-3 vs. Delmarva Shorebirds

SS Abiatal Avelino 0-4, E6 - throwing error, fourth of the season
DH Tyler Wade 0-4, K
RF Aaron Judge 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 K - batting .324/.420/.431 this season
1B Mike Ford 1-3, K
3B Miguel Andujar 0-3, K
LF John Murphy 1-2, SB, HBP
C Kale Sumner 0-2, BB, K, passed ball
2B Gosuke Katoh 0-2, K
CF Mikeson Oliberto 1-3, 2 K

Brady Lail 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K - 9/1 GO/AO
Andury Acevedo 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Philip Walby 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R/0 ER, BB, 2 K
Cesar Vargas 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
Nick Rumbelow 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 3 K

Last year the Brewers had the worst production from first base in the majors. It was historically bad and so it couldn't be worse this year. Let's see how it stacks up to the rest of baseball in the early going.

During the winter I'm sure most of us viewed first base as the Brewers biggest weakness. I know I did. I was squarely in the "re-sign Corey Hart" camp and was pretty disappointed when they didn't secure his services. After that I was convinced the next best move would be to sign James Loney. Again, I was disappointed. Shortly after he signed with the Rays, the Brewers signed a deal with Mark Reynolds. I thought for sure that meant they'd platoon him with Juan Francisco. Yet again I was disappointed when, instead, they chose Lyle Overbay. We're a little over a month into the season and while "short sample size" still applies, I have to admit that I'm pleasantly surprised with the production the Brewers are getting out of their platoon.

Mark Reynolds' offense has been about what I expected. As I'm writing this he's hit 233/309/512 which is good for a 123 wRC+. His career slash line is 233/328/465 so I think we should probably expect that slugging to drop a bit, but that OBP could also be higher. The 123 wRC+ could drop too, but it's actually exactly what ZiPS predicts for him, so there's some hope it'll remain.

The truly surprising aspect of Reynolds' season thus far has been his defense. He has a 0 DRS but his 1.8 UZR and 13.8 UZR/150 (at first base) is a career high for him. The crazy thing is, I think it's for real. Watching him field has been a treat. On several occasions I've seen him do the splits stretching for a low throw and I've seen him make outstanding picks compensating for poor/short throws. He might not have the range of an elite first baseman, but I think everything else is there.

Lyle Overbay has more or less been what I expected. His 84 wRC+ leaves much to be desired although he's much better solely vs RHP where he has a 116 wRC+ and he's had the occasional hot streak. He has a .333 OBP so at least he's getting on base at a reasonable clip. His fielding so far has been average which is mildly surprising considering he's been a better than average fielder his whole career. He is seeing the least amount of playing time at the position, so we should be careful about reading too much into any of this.

Together their production has hovered around the top 10 in baseball. Their combined 108 wRC+ ranks 20th but their 2nd place defense makes up for it. Right now their 0.8 fWAR (all of which comes from Reynolds) is tied with 3 other teams (Cardinals, White Sox, Yankees) for 10th best. As I mentioned above, small sample size applies this early in the season. It applies doubly so when evaluating each individual, as platoon players by their very nature see less playing time than a regular starter. I'm not trying to convince you that the Brewers first production will continue to be among the best in baseball, but I don't see any reason to believe their production will noticeably drop off either.

If the two continue producing at roughly the same percentages, the Brewers could be helped by replacing the Overbay part of the platoon. I see three alternatives. They could cut Overbay and give Reynolds the job full time. His 110 wRC+ vs RHP is about as productive as Overbay's. They could cut Overbay and promote Hunter Morris. I'm not enamored with him, but maybe he can hold his own against RHP and be the power lefty off the bench the Brewers are missing. Or finally, they could make a trade. The options will likely present themselves with time. All of this is thinking a month or two down the road of course and while Overbay may have a 0.0 fWAR right now, he is certainly contributing more than Rickie Weeks and Wei-Chung Wang. I think one of those guys will go before Overbay does.

I'm curious what you guys think. Are you satisfied with the current platoon? Do you think they will need to, or should make a change at some point? If so, what option do you endorse? Let me know in the comments.

Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• What we learned: May 6, 2014
• Brewers 8, Diamondbacks 3: Beating up on the No Fun club
• Brewers vs Diamondbacks series preview
• A celebration of Mexican-born Brewers players
• Prognostikeggers 2014 - Week 6

Gary Sanchez

Chris Mellen at Baseball Prospectus believes that the best way to tell how good top prospects are is to watch them against other top prospects. Many players in the lower minors might not make it much further up the ladder, so the better players tend to feast on lesser talent. Seeing how two talented players respond to each other can be very informative during the evaluation process. Mellen saw just that when Gary Sanchez faced off against Aaron Sanchez of the Blue Jays organization.

Gary Sanchez is having a great season so far, hitting .286/.375/.495 and four home runs with the Double-A Trenton Thunder. Aaron Sanchez was blowing Trenton hitters away all day, but our Sanchez adjusted. After falling behind in the count, "rather than try to do too much or unleash on the pitch, he put a nice, easy swing on the ball by guiding the head with his hands, and laced a hard line drive to right field for a single." Such an approach shows his understanding of the art of hitting and the maturity to know when to make adjustments.

After seeing the matchup, Mellen felt he had a solid takeaway on Gary Sanchez as a prospect and future major leaguer:

He has the physical ability to compete against the competition in the majors. The bat speed, hands, strength, and swing fluidity are there. It's the development of the secondary skills in the upper minors, along with his level of engagement, that will determine whether this is a regular in the big leagues over the long run.

Shane Greene

Josh Norris of Baseball America recently saw Shane Greene pitch for the Scranton-Wilkes/Barre RailRiders. The right-hander has spent time traveling between the major league team and Triple-A this season, only managing to pitch 6.1 innings all year.

During Greene's one and only start of the season, Norris observed that he was throwing four average-to-above average pitches. That day his fastball was sitting 92-96 mph, while his slider was averaging 87 mph and his changeup was hitting 84-85 mph. Though he was apparently reaching deeper in a later start:

That's easily as good as I've seen Greene for an inning. 93-95 heater. Slider as hard as 90, saw another at 79.

— Donnie Collins (@RailRidersTT) May 5, 2014

Norris asked a scout about how he was pitching:

Scout here noting that Greene has excellent stuff but really needs to mix and match more. Durham sitting on FBs and hitting on screws.

— Josh Norris (@jnorris427) April 29, 2014

Greene throws a fastball, two different sliders (as he described it in our October interview with him), changeup, and sinker, however, his fastball and slider are believed to be his best pitches. He might not have the weapons to keep hitters off balance for several innings. If his career leads to the big league bullpen, he might have to give up on his lesser pitches in order to become a fastball-slider pitcher, like he did in his big league debut.

The Yankees three game series against the Angels continues tonight, because of West Coast Bias or something. Look, just win and get out of there as soon as possible. More PSA DP results and fun questions to keep you satisfied till the game begins.

Mood music: Ladies Night by Kool & The Gang

Let's look at some positives from last night's game:

• Phelps pitched pretty well against a very tough lineup
• Teixeira is still hitting

5/5/14 Daily Prediction Answers

Here's a funny thing that happened. In the Aaron's haste to go on vacation, they didn't specify the exact nature of question 6 to Pamela & Paula Platypus out on the West Coast. Pam called Aaron Uno to get it clarified, and his phone was disconnected. So in order to make it fair, whatever number you had for your answer counted towards pitching & hitting. Good job clearing up the Aardvark's mess, ladies.

Speaking of ladies, it is still women's month in May. Pam & Paula are happy to announce that Tanya is the winner with 2,000 points. This makes Waffles' second win in under a week. Impressive work, Khaleesi. Perhaps Blanky & xoxojackie can tie her score. Also, hey male PSAers...wanna step it up here?

5/6/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions

Is there any TV show that you've tried to get more people to watch in the hopes that it won't be cancelled?

Grits: delicious southern delicacy or disgusting gooey slop?

Describe your ideal sleeping conditions (weather, type of blankets/sheets, etc.)

What was your favorite toy growing up?

David Phelps pitched well, but everything else went wrong. All I'll say about certain issues last night is that technology can only help so much. Hiroki Kuroda gets the start for the Yankees today against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra. It'd be really nice if the Yankees could break out of this funk they've been in.

go yankees go baseball

It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing.

There's something simply captivating about baseball swings. Some are near perfect, like Darryl Strawberry's sweet stroke, and some are all herky-jerky all over the place, like Mel Ott's bizarre 511-homer swing. It's a bummer that more video doesn't exist of swings from decades ago, as it would be quite intriguing to observe how they have evolved over the years. However, there is some scant footage of these older players. I thought if would be fun to GIF these older Yankees' swings and put them together in a post just because it can be tricky to get all of that in one place. It's easier to find video footage from the '70s onward and those swings are more well-known, so I ended the GIFs with Mickey Mantle. (Although I could certainly do another post sometime with more modern Yankees hitting GIFs.) Anyway, enjoy.

Babe Ruth

Ruth's big swing is the quintessential power stroke. He modeled his swing after the infamous Joe Jackson and brought home runs to the game in a way no one had ever seen before. Of course, his swing also led to him striking out more than most hitters in his era, though his career-high of 93 truly speaks to how much more often hitters fan these days. They were more than worth it, as Ruth belted 1,356 extra-base hits in 2,503 games, at least one every two games. He homered once every 11.7 plate appearances, a truly ridiculous rate.

Lou Gehrig

In contrast to the "Sultan of Swat," Gehrig had a hack more suited for vicious line drives. A contemporary of Gehrig's once said that going up to the plate, he had one thing in mind: "to knock the hell out of the ball." Indeed, it was very difficult to defense Gehrig's smashes, which led to 534 doubles, 163 triples, 493 homers, and a staggering career 1.080 OPS, the third-best mark in MLB history.

Tony Lazzeri

If the Yankees were to retire #6, it should really be for the Hall of Fame second baseman Lazzeri, not a manager. "Poosh 'em Up Tony" was not the home run hitter that Ruth and Gehrig were, though he did once belt two grand slams in a single game. He was a fearsome member of "Murderers' Row," ripping 627 career extra-base hits of his own.

Joe DiMaggio

The "Yankee Clipper" had some of the quickest wrists in the game, and that is quite evident in these series of swings. Until Alex Rodriguez came along, no righthanded hitter in Yankees history could compare to DiMaggio's power, which despite Yankee Stadium's highly unfavorable dimensions for a righty (457 feet to left-center), led to 881 extra-base hits in just 1,736 career games. DiMaggio rarely missed the ball when he swung for it--he incredibly averaged a mere 28 strikeouts per season and only fanned 13 times in his landmark '41 campaign. An uncharacteristic 14 strikeouts during his final two career months made his career strikeout total (369) barely exceed his career homer total (361).

Tommy Henrich

Broadcaster Mel Allen called Henrich "Ol' Reliable" for his propensity to come through in late-game situations, and he did belt four homers in World Series play. None were more famous than the one that resulted from this somewhat-odd swing, which ended a scoreless tie against the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1 of the '49 World Series. For many years, Henrich's 183 career homers ranked among the top 10 in Yankees history.

Phil Rizzuto

"The Scooter" did not have a ton of power, but he did step up for 200 hits, 36 doubles, and a league-leading 6.7 WAR during his 1950 AL MVP season. Rizzuto held his hands high up on the bat, leading to a short swing focused on contact. He was one of baseball's greatest bunters, a skill that while often counterproductive could also lead to many bunt singles as Rizzuto beat out numerous infield hits. In a pennant race one time, he somehow executed a perfect walk-off suicide squeeze on a Bob Lemon pitch around his head. Like DiMaggio, he also prided himself on avoiding strikeouts and only fanned 398 times in a 13-year career, never more than 42 times.

Yogi Berra

Yogi's up there with the likes of Vladimir Guerrero as baseball's best bad-ball hitters. It almost didn't matter where the pitcher threw hit--Yogi could drill it for extra bases regardless. Yogi felt humiliated by strikeouts, so again, he was of the DiMaggio/Rizzuto breed to avoid strikeouts at all costs. The short and stocky hitter's bad-ball approach obviously helped with that, as his 162-game strikeout average was a mere 32 per season, only 12 in a 151-game 1950. Berra's 358 homers were the standard for catchers until the much-later days of Carlton Fisk and Mike Piazza.

Roger Maris

Maris had a lefty swing tailor-made for Yankee Stadium's short porch in right field, and he still holds the American League record with his 61-homer season in '61. It was a very pull-heavy swing, but it clearly generated results. Maris's bat did not take long to zoom through the zone and send balls flying.

Elston Howard

"Ellie" was a trailblazer in becoming the first African-American to play for the Yankees, but he was also a formidable hitter. He won the 1963 AL MVP, capably succeeding Berra behind the plate, both on defense and with the bat. He did not waste much time in his stance, which was very quiet until he executed his swing. Howard hit 218 doubles, 50 triples, and 167 homers, and at the time of his retirement in '68, his .427 career slugging percentage was exceeded by just seven other backstops in MLB history.

Mickey Mantle

The tour of old swings had to end with Mantle, who could be regarded as the greatest overall hitter in major league history if one considers that unlike say, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, and Hank Aaron, Mantle mastered both the lefthanded AND the righthanded swing. His amazing career wRC+ of 170 (the result of a .298/.421/.557 triple slash) remains the best among all center fielders to every play the game. Like Ruth, his power swings generated a lot of strikeouts, more than anyone until Reggie Jackson came along. When he made contact though, the ball shot off his bat like lightning, to further distances than anyone had ever seen, be it a reported 565 feet all the way out of Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. or hitting the facade of the old Yankee Stadium. We might never see power like the Mick's ever again, and seeing his swing, is anyone surprised that the ball went so far?

Spare me the gloom.

Derek Jeter is old, until he hits a single and a double, providing the team's only offense and raising his batting average ten points.

The 2B/3B platoon is barely hitting, but the dynasty teams featured a third baseman who hit .247/.307/.414 and a second baseman who couldn't make the throw to first.

The rotation is a mess. I actually don't have a pithy reply for this- the rotation is a mess, and if at least one of CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda can't look like themselves soon and for the rest of the season, the road to the playoffs becomes exponentially more difficult.

But this is the important thing-

Today, the Orioles lead the AL East with a .516 winning percentage, which wouldn't be second place in any other division. The Blue Jays, in last, are only three losses off the pace.

Maybe the 2014 standings will end just like this, with all five teams in the AL East grinding each other into the ground.

Yesterday, Jim wrote about the grim picture painted by the Yankees' run differential. I'd like to offer an alternative narrative.

With two under-30 starters on the DL, and two over-30 starters showing the wear of years, the Yankees have stayed afloat, and thankfully the AL East looks equally flawed. Only Toronto sports a positive run differential (+3), and only Toronto has shown an above average offense so far this season.

In the lineup, only Jacoby Ellsbury, Ichiro Suzuki, Mark Teixeira, Kelly Johnson and Yangervis Solarte are outperforming their projected offensive output; in that group, only Ichiro is wildly outperforming. Meanwhile, for all our worries (and despite some obvious deficiencies) overall, the Yankees have played their defense just a touch below average. Ellsbury and Beltran have been the big negative contributors, and no one has shown the catastrophic defense many predicted.

Brian McCann was brought in to be a breath of fresh air at catcher. Thus far the air has been as stale as it was in 2013.

When we last left Yankees esteemed new backstop Brian McCann here at PSA, Derek Albin asked if he was trying to do too much and Jesse Schindler noted he was going to the opposite field to beat the shift. We're about a week and a half removed from those two articles and McCann is hitting much worse than he was even then, which was already at a level below his career norms. It's certainly not for lack of trying as he even opted to drop down a bunt in an effort to get a hit yesterday night against the Angels. It failed and McCann put up an 0-4 day, when an "o'fer" seems to be more the usual for the former All Star than an aberration.

Here's a truly sobering comparison for you: Brian McCann's 62 wRC+ through 28 games in 2014 is only slightly superior to the 58 wRC+ that Chris Stewart posted in 2013. That's an extra month's worth of Stewie-esque offense that we've been cruelly subjected to even after his banishment. So while it's helpful that McCann may be the very best pitch framer in the league, the reason the Yankees brought him in for a significant chunk of change is because he's been one of the better offensive catchers in the league for many years. And the Yankees' sputtering offense desperately needs him to be one of the anchors in the middle of the order because there is not a lot of length to this lineup.

So what's wrong with McCann? Much has been made of what the shift is doing to his BABIP, which is over 60 points below his career average. But that misfortune on balls in play is being magnified by McCann's inability to draw walks. His career average BB% is 9.4, and he's currently sitting at 3.6%. And the percentage of pitches he's swinging at outside the zone (O Swing %) is 34.8%, which would be a new career high. So if nothing else, Brian needs to work a few more free passes and be more selective. Even if the shift continues to stymie him he should be getting on base through this avenue near his career averages.

Obviously it's frustrating for both the player and fans. After one of his four home runs, you assumed that he was going to wake himself from the hitting doldrums and go on a tear, but it just has not happened. Obviously a player with McCann's record deserves the benefit of the doubt for the time being, it's just the reasonable and logical thing to do. What is happening is that as the weeks of poor play pile up, it is becoming harder for McCann to turn in a season worthy of his contract and the expectations that came with it. His updated ZiPS projection has dropped him below a 100 wRC+, which would be a pretty significant disappointment in year one of McCann's deal. Just a quick string of quality hitting performances could turn it all around, so here's hoping one of them comes soon. Because the Yankees will probably have a lot more exercises in offensive futility in them, like last night, if he can't.

Join us for late night baseball, won't you? We're just one game into the Yankees' west coast trip and it's already proven to be disastrous. Hopefully tonight is different.

#yankees lineup: Ellsbury CF, Jeter SS, Beltran RF, Teixeira 1B, Soriano DH, McCann C, Solarte 3B, Gardner LF, Roberts 2B.

— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) May 6, 2014

Jacoby Ellsbury, Derek Jeter, and Carlos Beltran lead off the lineup, Mark Teixeira, Alfonso Soriano, and Brian McCann make up the middle, and Yangervis Solarte, Brett Gardner, and Brian Roberts make up the lower third.

With last night's game being official, Michael Pineda has been reinstated from his 10-game suspension and can now finally be put on the disabled list. Brendan Ryan has been activated off the 15-day disabled list and will join an infield mix that includes Derek Jeter, Brian Roberts, Kelly johnson, and Yangervis Solarte. No one has to be pushed out just yet, but it could mean someone is going to start losing playing time. The Yankees will also continue with an eight-man bullpen, at least until Michael Pineda is ready to return.

In other news from around the organization, Jose Ramirez has been activated from the DL and Ronnier Mustelierhas been released by the organization. The little fire hydrant that could nearly made the team out of spring training last season until an injury at the end of camp cost him what little chance he had. This season he suffered an injury in the offseason that kept him out of action for months, resulting in him not even being invited to spring training. He's now 29 years old and has averaged a .715 OPS over the last two seasons. Oh well.

Mustelier joins Charley Short and Nik Turley as the latest relatively high-profile minor leaguer to be released from the Yankees organization. Turley has been dealing with an arm injury since spring training and was released to clear up a spot on the 40-man roster, While Musty and Short seem to be a case of cleaning house.

The Yankees win thanks to a nice outing by Hiroki Kuroda, and Brian Roberts' first home run of the season.

Hiroki Kuroda and CJ Wilson matched up for the second time this season, and it was the Yankees turn to get the win. Kuroda put together a nice outing, pitching 7.2 innings with 8 strikeouts and only 1 earned run. Most of the Angels scoring came in the third inning after Yangervis Solarte was charged with a throwing error after fielding a bunt by Collin Cowgill. Erick Aybar and Mike Trout both hit sacrifice flys to give the Angels a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees offense didn't come alive until the fifth inning, when Solarte, Brett Gardner and Brian Roberts all hit singles, Roberts driving in the run. Jacoby Ellsbury then grounded into a double play to score Gardner. The game remained tied at 2-2 until the 8th inning, when the Yankees took the lead thanks to an RBI single by Alfonso Soriano which involved Carlos Beltran barrel-rolling across home plate.

(Credit to Andrew)

Things got interesting in the bottom half of the 8th inning. Shawn Kelley was spotted warming up in the bullpen, but Kuroda (somewhat surprisingly) came out to try and finish the inning. With two outs, Kuroda gave up a triple to Mike Trout. Then Joe Girardi lost his mind, or forgot about last night's game, and decided to bring Kelley in to face Albert Pujols. Pujols singled to score Trout. No one was surprised. Kelley struck out Howie Kendrick to end the inning and it looked like the game could be headed to extra innings...

But then, with two outs in the 9th inning, Brian Roberts came to the plate and hit his first home run of the season. David Robertson was then able to close out the game without any trouble.

No extra innings. Yankees win!

Vidal Nuno will take the mound tomorrow night against Hector Santiago at 10:05 EST.

Box score.

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

Yankees News

Minor League Ball | Jessica Quiroli: The Yankees gave Dellin Betances the opportunity to succeed by moving him to the bullpen.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand:Mariano Rivera is wrong about his preference of Dustin Pedroia over Robinson Cano.

An A-Blog For A-Rod | Brad Vietrogoski: A look at Carlos Beltran's slump through the view of his spray charts.

SB Nation | Seth Rosenthal: Relive Joe Girardi's rampage against Laz Diaz from Monday night.

NoMaas | SJK: Brian McCann has been one of the worst hitters in the American League.

It's About the Money | Michael Eder: David Phelps' uptick in velocity has helped him early on in 2014.

Fox Sports | Rob Neyer: With Brendan Ryan returning from the DL and Derek Jeter struggling, could the Yankees bench the Captain?

NoMaas | Vizzini: Among their many struggles, the Yankees have one of the worst walk rates in baseball this year.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Is Derek Jeter finally done or does he still have more to offer?

SB Nation | Marc Normandin: Check out Ichiro Suzuki wielding a lightsaber against Felix Hernandez and his force lightning.