Quantcast
Channel: SB Nation - New York Yankees
Viewing all 4714 articles
Browse latest View live

Mark Buehrle provides young Blue Jays with veteran presents

0
0

Cool news of the day: Mark Buehrle is getting the young guys on the Blue Jays suits in New York City because he is cool and fatherly. Not that my father ever got me custom suits from New York City or made $18 million a year.

Buehrle has a history of furnishing his teammates with gifts. When he threw a no-hitter against the Rangers back in 2007 he got all of his teammates watches, after his perfect game (which happened five years ago this week), he gave everyone a personalized bottle of Crown Royal XR.

I wonder what the cutoff is to get these veteran presents from Buehrle? Does Rob Rasmussen, a 25-year-old rookie, get a suit too? How about Ryan Goins, who is somehow already 26?

Buehrle goes on the hill at Yankee Stadium tonight to face Hiroki Kuroda. Buehrle has not recorded a win for eight consecutive starts (since June 1) this season, and he has not recorded a win in Yankee Stadium since April 10, 2004, a span of 14 starts with the White Sox and the Blue Jays.


MLB trade rumors: Troy Tulowitzki drawing interest from Mets, Cardinals; Yankees acquire Chris Capuano; more

0
0

The Rockies have a number of guys that other teams are inquiring about, including Troy Tulowitzki.

Mets to Rockies: let's talk Tulowitzki, Gonzalez trade - NY Post

As we rocket toward the July 31 trade deadline, the Rockies find themselves in a delicate position. This season has been a disaster. They have assets to sell. Do they go full rebuild and snap up three to four stud pitching prospects for Tulo and Cargo? Or do they do as they always do and stay relatively quiet at the deadline (Ubaldo trade notwithstanding). I don't think Dick Monfort is ready to part with Tulo quite yet.

The linked article by Joel Sherman has a number of interesting nuggets. "Sources" of Sherman's say that the Mets think they have the prospect firepower to land Tulowitzki, and their young pitching core is enticing indeed. They also say the Cardinals love Tulo still and that the Yankees want him.

Also noted is that the Rockies have been watching Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli. Cervelli is a solid player--a good defensive backstop with a solid bat (career wRC+ of 95, and he's at 109 this year). The Yanks are looking for a starter, ie De La Rosa or Anderson. If the Rockies make this deal, it means they are finally moving on from the Wilin Rosario era, which they tried to do last off season as well.

Mariners offer Rockies deal for Drew Stubbs; Capuano dealt to Yankees - Denver Post

Nooooooo not Capuano!

As for Stubbs, now seems like the perfect sell high opportunity. I love what he's done here in Denver, and he's the perfect fourth outfielder for our lefty-heavy starting outfield. But he's starting to make some money, and you shouldn't be afraid to trade a relatively expensive fourth outfielder in a lost year. Maybe the return offered by the Mariners was lousy, who knows. Personally, I think that Safeco Field would be absolute death for Stubbs.

Walt Weiss: Ben Paulsen making the most of his big league chance - Denver Post

Who knows what the future holds for Ben Paulsen, but his opening series against the Nationals sure was nice (five hits in eleven at bats). My untrained eye was impressed with his swing at any rate. He's certainly a better option at first base than Charlie freakin' Culberson until Morneau returns. Check out Paulsen's derp-face in the article.

Brett Anderson's breaking ball: Slurve's not a dirty word - Fangraphs

A terrific piece by Eno Sarris at Fangraphs about Brett Anderson's arsenal. Definitely read the whole thing, because it's replete with quotes from the eminently quotable lefty. Also included are some close up photos of his effed up finger and his opinion about the difficulties of pitching at Coors. I found it interesting that he could never figure out the change up; I could never throw it either. I'd just spike it into the ground and look like a total idiot.

The Rockies want to be the Cubs, and the Cubs want to be something else - Rockies Zingers

Our friend Rockies Zingers writes that the Colorado Rockies are starting to resemble the hapless Cubs; but the Cubs seem to have a plan in place to get better. What's the Rockies' plan?

Much better than OK - Bradlee Ross

Bradlee Ross reviews ONEOK Field, the home turf of the Tulsa Drillers. He liked it a lot. If you click through, be sure to mute your speakers, as I got scared half to death when a Wal Mart ad auto-played at full volume.

Prospect Note: Robert Refsnyder, 2B, New York Yankees

0
0

Second baseman Robert Refsnyder is one of the bright spots in the New York Yankees farm system this year. He went 0-for-3 with a walk yesterday for Triple-A Scranton, on the heels of a 2-for-5 (with a home run) day Wednesday. Overall he's hitting .298/.401/.510 in 151 at-bats over 41 games since being promoted to the International League. Combined with his .342/.385/.548 tear through Double-A, he's hit .325/.392/.533 on the season with 28 doubles, 13 homers, with 39 walks and 73 strikeouts in 379 at-bats.

Pre-season, Refsnyder was seen as a sleeper prospect by sources who follow the Yankees system closely and he's definitely lived up to that. A fifth round pick in 2012 from the University of Arizona, he had a solid '13 season with a .283/.408/.404 mark in High-A, with 78 walks and 70 strikeouts in 117 games for Tampa in the Florida State League. He's shown more power this year and scouts have always respected his pure hitting skills.

The question here is defense. He played outfield in college but didn't run well enough for center and didn't profile to have enough power at a corner spot in the majors. The Yankees moved him to second base last year; not surprisingly he struggled, making 25 errors and showing limited range around the bag. He's stuck with it this year and has made progress, lowering his error rate dramatically (he's made just one error in 33 games for Scranton) and showing improved actions.

He's not going to be a gold glove but he's athletic enough to be adequate as he builds up his experience level. Refsnyder can still handle left or right field if needed and the versatility will make it easier to fit him on a roster.

Overall, Refsnyder projects to hit for average and should provide a sound OBP with occasional flashes of pop. It would not surprise me to see him develop more home run power when he gets into his late 20s.

Yankees acquire Chase Headley: So long, Yangervis Solarte

0
0

Plangervis comes to an end: His time in New York was short, but Solarte sure gave us some great memories during his successful spring in pinstripes.

Yangervis Solarte’s stint as a member of the New York Yankees has come to an end - he’s been shipped off to San Diego with prospect Rafael De Paula in exchange for third baseman Chase Headley. While Headley should be an improvement for what has been a lackluster Yankee infield so far this season (and he's off to a great start), it doesn’t change the fact that Solarte gave us some memorable moments during his brief period in the Bronx.

At the beginning of the season, Solarte – a career minor leaguer who failed to post above-average numbers in his past two seasons in Triple-A  – suddenly turned into one of the most dangerous hitters in the American League, hitting .336/.414/.521 with a 158 wRC+ over the first month and a half of the season. He became a major offensive cog that helped keep the Yankees above water in the early going, and his performance offset the poor production the Yankees received from many of their other infielders. At the beginning of May, Solarte held one of the highest batting averages in the American League and (while obviously in a small sample size) looked like a dark horse candidate for AL Rookie of the Year.

Solarte's biggest game came on April 17th against  the Tampa Bay Rays, asSolarte not only hit his first major league home run...

but started what became a 5-4-3 triple play (one of only four triple plays that have happened this season). It doesn't hurt that it happened to be just about as picture perfect as a triple play could be.

Sadly, as many predicted, his hot start could not be maintained. Solarte hit a wall from mid-May on, posting a paltry triple slash of .180/.264/.256 with a 45 wRC+ from May 15 until he was traded. Solarte went from one of the best Yankee hitters to a black hole in the Yankee offense, and his struggles led to him eventually being sent down to Triple-A Scranton on July 3rd. Solarte did find his way back to the majors periodically over the month (because injuries refuse to leave the Yankees alone), but even when he managed to get into games, he showed no signs of regaining his early season form.

While turning an unproven and clearly streaky rookie into a more experienced and skilled major leaguer like Chase Headley definitely upgrades the team, it's still a bit sad to see Solarte go. Solarte’s hot start was a lot of fun while it lasted, and it became one of the best stories of the beginning of the season. However, his performance over his minor league career, coupled with his horrific decline over the past two months, suggests that he really didn't belong be in the Yankees' short term or long term plans.If the Yankees hope to make the playoffs, infield improvements had to be made, and trading for Headley will go a long way towards shoring up the hot corner. Like I said, it’s a bit sad to see Solarte go, but Cashman made the right call.

Solarte might at least get some consistent playing time in San Diego, giving him a chance find a way to become a solid major leaguer. We'll at least always have our fond memories of the Spring of Solarte, and of course, this ridiculous bat flip:


Credit: Grantland

Here’s wishing him all the best.

Pinstripe Alley Podcast Episode 57: It's Headley!

0
0

The Yankees have a new third baseman and they've been 6-1 since the All-Star Break, so huzzah for good spirits!

Lots of news to cover this week on the Pinstripe Alley Podcast as the Yankees acquired Chase Headley, bid adieu to Yangervis Solarte, made some odd comments about Rob Refsnyder, went 6-1 since the All-Star Break, and found themselves caught in some weird trade rumors regarding Ian Kennedy& Jorge De La Rosa late last night. Oh, and Chris Capuano I suppose. He is the the screwdriver on top of an ice cream sundae of Yankees talk.

[0:00] Do that voodoo, Headley
[1:10] The trade rumors involving Ian Clarkin and Eric Jagielo are very scary and we had to return to the podcast after we recorded to add this in
[7:35] Early impressions of the Headley trade and thoughts about gambling on prospects
[12:45] The Brian Roberts problem and pondering Brian Cashman's comments on Refsnyder
[24:01] What is a bench? The Yankees need a bench since most of their bench is overused (Ichiro Suzuki) or injured (Kelly Johnson, Mark Teixeira). Enter Jose Pirela? Scott Sizemore? Trade deadline addition like Marlon Byrd? Bueller?
[30:59] Brandon McCarthy: Good at baseball and also now essential to the rotation!
[39:01] Quick series preview for the Blue Jays and Rangers
[42:42] B-Ref Segment: Matt F. looks up longest Yankee reliever streaks of negative WPA, and there are shudder-inducing throwback names. (Also, a brief tangent on "If the Boss were alive" arguments.)
[52:15] Tweetbag: Tommy Milone a Yankee?, should the Yankees go all-in at the Trade Deadline?, a better second bullpen lefty, and draft class improvements
[1:07:52] Yankee/Mitre of the Week

Podcast link (Length: 1:13:58)

iTunes link

RSS feed

Yankees potential trade target: Tommy Milone

0
0

Tommy Milone was unceremoniously dumped from the A's rotation. Could he find redemption in New York?

When they acquired Cubs starters Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel earlier this month, the Oakland Athletics made room on their roster in part by optioning 27-year-old lefty Tommy Milone to Triple-A Sacramento. Milone, who was solid, if unspectacular in Oakland in 2012 and 2013 after being brought over in the Gio Gonzalez trade, was in the midst of his worst pro season, sporting a pedestrian FIP of 4.43 and an fWAR of just 0.7 through sixteen starts. His 5.7 K-rate was the lowest of his career and his 2.43 walk-rate was the highest. Though his performance wasn't poor enough to really warrant a demotion - he had a 2.62 ERA in his previous eleven starts when he was sent down - the A's had no room for him in a rotation that, besides the two Chicago transplants, also included three of the American League's better pitchers this year in Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir and Jesse Chavez. Instead of plopping him in a seldom used mop-up role, the A's chose to have Milone pitch regularly in the minors.

Not surprisingly, Milone's not exactly pumped about where he now fits - or doesn't - into Oakland's plans. According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, he has asked for a trade.

Unfortunately, there's a lot not to love about Milone. He's regressed each year of his career in FIP and xFIP and he's never averaged more than 6.13 innings per start. His low strikeout and ground ball (38.4 percent in 2014) rates have played alright in O.co Coliseum's spacious confines, but as Phil Hughes, Vidal Nuno and plenty of others have found out, Yankee Stadium is relentlessly cruel to pitchers who allow too many balls in the air. On the road this season, opponents have hit a very solid .261/.317/.462 against Milone, and his FIP is an unseemly 4.84. His fastball sits in the high eighties - the low high eighties at an average 86.5 mph. That doesn't give it much differential from his second most-used pitch, the change-up, which clocks in at 80.3. Milone is a classic "crafty lefty" who needs to rely on deception and spot-on location to be effective.

But hey. One team's trash...

Brian Cashman recently told Michael Kay that if he had just one move to make at the deadline, it would be for a hitter rather than a pitcher. But that doesn't mean he's not looking for arms, too. While the Yankees' offense has been the more disappointing aspect of the team so far, there's some opportunity for positive regression on that front. On the pitching side, things are more likely to swing the other way, and at any moment. Shane Greene has looked good but is entirely unproven, Brandon McCarthy has never started more than 25 games in a season, Hiroki Kuroda seemed to run out of gas towards the end of last year and David Phelps and Chase Whitley are on pace to obliterate their previous career highs in innings. If any of those guys crack, the Yankees don't have much to replace them with. Chris Capuano? Jeff Francis? Yeah, okay. Adding a young lefty to the starting mix, even if he's a flawed young lefty, wouldn't be a terrible thing.

Milone doesn't come with a hefty contract that goes on for years like some of the Yankees' other possible pitching targets in Cliff Lee, John Danks, and Edwin Jackson. He's first-year arbitration eligible this winter and without a defined role in the A's rotation going forward, that makes him a prime non-tender candidate. Billy Beane's never been one to sell low, but if the choice is trading Milone or letting him go for nothing, the price may be reasonable.

With the best record in baseball, the A's don't have many holes the Yankees can help fill, but their second basemen, led by Eric Sogard and Nick Punto, are hitting .227/.286/.281. His recent groin injury and subsequent DL status complicates things, but Kelly Johnson is a player who seems to fit what Oakland looks for - he's fairly patient at the plate (10.1% walk-rate) and has some pop (.151 ISO). The Yankees can't get Milone for just Johnson (or Brian Roberts, for that matter), but adding a couple of mid-level prospects might sweeten the bait enough to get a bite.

Yankees lineup vs. Blue Jays - Mark Teixeira not on the disabled list; Chris Capuano will start tomorrow

0
0

The Yankees and Blue Jays face off in a battle for the second wild card spot.

After one weird day, it looks like the top of the order is back to normal with Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, and Jacoby Ellsbury on top. Carlos Beltran remains the designated hitter with Brian McCann at first base again and Chase Headley at third base. Ichiro Suzuki, Brian Roberts, and Francisco Cervelli round out the bottom of the lineup.

The Yankees were expected to make a decision on whether or not they would put Mark Teixeira on the disabled list with a strained lat muscle. With him listed on today's roster, it appears that the team has decided to forego the DL idea, but it is still unknown when he will return to action. The Yankees will wait until Sunday to see if he can swing a bat yet before finally making a decision.

The Yankees acquired Chris Capuano last night and today he's been placed on the 25-man roster after Chris Leroux was designated for assignment. There's still no indication as to how he will be used, starter or reliever, but we know he won't be in Triple-A.

UPDATE:

Shane Greene was supposed to pitch tomorrow, but with Chase Whitley also scheduled for Sunday, it's possible Greene will be pushed back a day.

yep.

Yankees trade rumors: New York not interested in Matt Kemp

0
0

After pushing the idea of trading for more pitching depth, Brian Cashman recently claimed that the Yankees' No.1 priority is now offense. Seeing as how Carlos Beltran has been relegated to DH duty thanks to a bone spur in his elbow, and Ichiro Suzuki is a pretty terrible full-time player, adding an outfielder might be a good move to make.

The Dodgers are said to be interested in trading Matt Kemp this season and are currently in contact with five teams about a potential deal. As it turns out, though, the Yankees are not currently one of those teams and, as of right now, they don't have much interest in entering the bidding.

While Kemp's .268/.333/.422 batting line in 2014 would absolutely be an improvement for the Yankees, taking on the 100+ million that is owed to him through the 2019 season would be absolutely insane, even if the Dodgers take on a good portion of the money. Thanks to some horrendous defense that led to his demotion from center field, he's actually been worth -0.8 WAR over the last two seasons. While Kemp still gets top billing as a superstar, his continuous injuries and inability to match the MVP-level numbers he once managed make him a player the Yankees should stay away from, even if he's still only 29 years old.


Yankees 6, Blue Jays 4: Ichiro hit a home run

0
0

Ichiro hit a home run, Kuroda got run support, the Curse of Buehrle continues, and the Yankees have now won seven of their last eight after the All-Star Break. I made you all tin foil hats.

The Yankees knew that when the Blue Jays came to town, the club was going to hit. They came into this game with a team line of 108 wRC+ and a (tied for) MLB best 123 home runs. And considering the Yankees have struggled at the plate, this would be a great time to change all of that.

Unfortunately, the Blue Jays struck first. After a couple of base hits by Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera in the first inning, Jose Bautista decided to ruin Hiroki Kuroda's night by launching a three-run home run into the left field seats. Kuroda would eventually settle down, but it looked like the Bombers would have their work cut out for them from the beginning. Luckily, they have the Buehrle Curse™ on their side.

Mark Buehrle has the following line against the Yankees: 1-11 (the W-L record is amusing, if nothing else), 105.1 innings, 5.81 ERA, 137 hits, and 5.5 strikeouts per nine. Ouch. In theory, that number should regress to the mean, especially considering how good of a pitcher he has been. That did not happen. In the bottom of the second, the Yankees chipped away at the deficit. The Yankees promptly loaded the bases on base hits from Brian McCann and Chase Headley, and then a walk from Ichiro Suzuki. Brian Roberts drove one run in on a fluky infield single, and then they drove in another on a Brett Gardner sacrifice fly.

Hiroki Kuroda promptly settled down. Well, other than allowing another Jose Bautista dinger (a solo shot) in the top of the third, he did. After that home run Kuroda only allowed two hits and a walk until he was lifted with two outs in the sixth inning. It was definitely not a great outing for him, but it was also just Jose Bautista doing Bautista-esque things to the baseball. Thankfully, unlike many other times in the past(I'm looking at you, 2013), the offense picked him up.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Yankees got a couple of dingers. Carlos Beltran hit a solo home run to start it off. Then after McCann and Headley singled, Ichiro did the (nearly) impossible--he hit a home run in a baseball game. It was his first home run of the season and his first since August 30, 2013. It came at the perfect time and gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead.

After Kuroda was lifted in the sixth, the Yankees got some good outings from the likes of David Huff and Shawn Kelley which helped bridge the gap to Dellin Betances and David Robertson. And when they got the ball, they did their thing to finish off the game in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. The Yankees have now won seven of their last eight after the All-Star Break and move into sole possession of second place in the AL East, just 2.5 games back of the Orioles (They will play the Mariners tonight). This is the best baseball they have played all season, and that's pretty awesome. Here's to hoping that continues.

The Yankees will take on the Blue Jays tomorrow for the second game of the three game set at 1:05 PM EST; the starting pitchers will be the newest addition in Chris Capuano for the Yankees and Drew Hutchison for the Blue Jays. You can catch the game on YES or MLB.tv.

Box ScoreGame Graph

Yankees beat Jose Bautista 6-4, Yankee Stadium losing streak increases to 17

0
0

Blue Jays 4 Yankees 6

If the Blue Jays are to snap their losing streak at Yankee Stadium it will apparently take more than just Jose Bautista hitting home runs. Although the team's star slugger hit two home runs and drove in four runs, a bad start by Mark Buehrle put Toronto in a hole that they were never able to climb out of.

The game got started in a big way right off the bat in the top of the first for the Blue Jays. Singles by Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera set up a Jose Bautista home run to left field off a Hiroki Kuroda fastball. The inning was extended when Derek Jeter did his best pylon impression and let a Juan Francisco single roll right by him, but Colby Rasmus eventually went down swinging on a tough splitter to end the first.

The Evil Empire got two runs back in the second inning after a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases for a Brian Roberts infield single to Munenori Kawasaki that scored a run. That was followed by a sacrifice fly that scored Chase Headley before some solid Anthony Gose defence and slowness down the line by Derek Jeter ended the inning.

The scoring continued in the third with Jose Bautista once again launching a homer to left field on a Kuroda slider, which increased his total to 20 on the season. The solo shot was matched in the bottom half of the inning by Carlos Beltran who destroyed a Mark Buehrle changeup to left field. It started to look like neither team was aware of the fact that it's much easier to hit home runs to the right field porch in Yankee Stadium rather than left field. That was until Ichiro stepped up to the plate and smashed a three-run home run to right off an ugly curveball from Buehrle to make it 6-4 for the Yankees. There was a combined 15 hits by both teams by the time the third inning was over, which is slightly more offence than the Royals and Indians game on Thursday where it took five innings to just get one hit.

Things calmed down after that....and by calmed down I mean nothing else happened and the game ended 6-4. Mark Buehrle only went the first three innings allowing six runs on nine hits, while throwing 67 pitches. Todd Redmond relieved him in the fourth and also went three innings striking out four. Brett Cecil and Dustin McGowan each took an inning after that and struck out one hitter apiece.

On the Yankees side of the ledger, Hiroki Kuroda went 5.2 innings allowing the four earned runs on eight hits. Relievers David Huff, Shawn Kelley, Dellin Betances, and closer David Robertson sealed the deal for New York allowing a total of two hits collectively. Somehow this seriously undermanned Yankee squad is still playing good baseball and going head to head with every team in the AL East.

Only Jose Bautista (.351 WPA) qualifies for Jay of the Day while Suckage Jays are Mark Buehrle (-.517), Juan Francisco (-.109), and Colby Rasmus (-.107).


Source: FanGraphs

Tomorrow sees Drew Hutchison attempting to right the ship against newly acquired Yankee Chris Capuano. Capuano appeared in 28 games for the Red Sox this year before being DFA'ed and then released, eventually signing with the Rockies. On Thursday the Yankees sent cash to Colorado for the lefty, who will become the only southpaw currently in the Yankees rotation.

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 7/26/14

0
0

CBS Sports | Matt Snyder: Tom Seaver believes that Derek Jeter should be the first unanimous Hall of Famer.

Examiner.com | Daniel Pfeiffer:Yankees outfield prospect Jake Cave is working on adjusting to Double-A ball.

New York Daily News | John Harper: It could make sense for the Yankees to target Marlon Byrd to play right field.

Baseball America | Ben Badler: Greg Bird and Tyler Austin make the BA Hot Sheet for the week.

Pinstripe Pundits | Chris Mitchell:David Huff has been solid, but can he keep it going or will he eventually revert back into mediocrity?

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: Derek Jeter had been giving Ichiro Suzuki a hard time for not hitting a home run this year, until Friday night.

New York Post | George A. King III: The Yankees plan to scout Cuban defector Rusney Castillo when he has a showcase in Miami.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Brandon McCarthy knows he can't fill Masahiro Tanaka's shoes and isn't going to try to.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: The Yankees are starting to piece something together in the second half, but can they keep it up?

The Outside Corner | Joe Lucia: Trading for David Cone might be the Yankees' best deadline trade, while moving Jose Contreras might have been their worst.

It's About the Money | William Tasker: It's a bit disconcerting that the Yankees seem to have no interest in signing David Robertson to an extension.

Sports On Earth | Marc Normandin: Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, and Tony La Russa all belong in the Hall of Fame for their contributions to the game.

Baby Bomber Recap 7/25/14: Miguel Andujar and Ty McFarland hit dingers; Luis Torrens continues to tear up the New York-Penn League

0
0

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from July 25th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 10-2 vs. Pawtucket Red Sox

1B Jose Pirela 1-5, 2 K - hitting .195 over last 10 games
2B Rob Refsnyder 1-3, BB, K
LF Zoilo Almonte 1-4, RBI
CF Adonis Garcia 2-4, 2B
DH Kyle Roller 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB
C John Ryan Murphy 0-4, K, 2 PB
RF Taylor Dugas 1-4, K, outfield assist
3B Rob Segedin 1-4
SS Carmen Angelini 0-4

Matt Tracy 3.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R/2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, HR, 2 HBP - 59 of 94 pitches for strikes, 2 GO/3 FO
Danny Burawa 1.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB - 18 of 37 pitches for strikes, 2 GO/2 FO
Rich Hill 1.0 IP, 3 K - 11 of 13 pitches for strikes
Joel De La Cruz 1.2 IP, 2 H, K - 14 of 17 pitches for strikes, 3 GO/0 FO
Tyler Webb 1.1 IP, 4 K, WP - 18 of 24 pitches for strikes, 1 GO/0 FO

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 6-1 vs. Binghamton Mets

LF Ben Gamel 0-4
CF Jake Cave 1-4, K
DH Gary Sanchez 2-4, K - hitting .317 over last 10 games
C Peter O`Brien 0-3, RBI, BB, K
RF Tyler Austin 1-4, K - hitting .361 over last 10 games
1B Francisco Arcia 1-3, BB, 2 K, two errors
3B Dan Fiorito 0-4, 2 K
2B Casey Stevenson 1-3, K
SS Ali Castillo 0-3, K

Dan Camarena 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R/2 ER, 5 K, HR - 60 of 94 pitches for strikes, 2 GO/9 FO
Nick Rumbelow 1.0 IP, H, 2 R/1 ER, BB, 3 K - 13 of 22 pitches for strikes
Nick Goody 0.1 IP, ER, BB, K - 12 of 19 pitches for strikes
Jairo Heredia 1.2 IP, H, 3 K, HBP - 21 of 32 pitches for strikes, 2 GO/0 FO

High-A Tampa Yankees:W 4-3 vs. Fort Myers Miracle

CF Danny Oh 3-5, K
RF Aaron Judge 1-4, RBI, K
1B Greg Bird 2-5, 2 RBI - hitting .389/.465/.722 over last 10 games
DH Dante Bichette 0-3, BB, 3 K
3B Eric Jagielo 0-4 - hitting .167 over last 10 games
2B Jose Rosario 1-3, BB
SS Cito Culver 1-4, K
C Trent Garrison 1-3, 2B, BB
LF Anderson Feliz 0-3, RBI, BB, outfield assist

Brett Gerritse 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, K - 6 GO/3 FO
Kyle Haynes 2.0 IP, 2 BB, 3 K - 2 GO/1 FO
Taylor Garrison 2.0 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 2 K - 2 GO/0 FO
Cesar Vargas 1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K - 1 GO/0 FO

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 6-1vs. Lexington Legends

CF Mark Payton 3-5, 2B, RBI, K - hitting .364/.478/.527 on the season
SS Abiatal Avelino 0-4, BB, K, throwing error (4)
2B Tyler Wade 2-5, 2B - hitting .442 over last 10 games
3B Miguel Andujar 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, K
LF Michael O`Neill 1-3, BB, SB - 29th stolen base of the season
C Eduardo de Oleo 0-3, RBI, fielding error (8)
DH Gosuke Katoh 0-4, K
1B John Murphy 0-4
RF Brandon Thomas 1-3, BB, K

Chaz Hebert 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, WP - 6 GO/1 FO
Evan Rutckyj 1.1 IP, BB, 2 K - 0 GO/1 FO
Stefan Lopez 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/0 ER, 3 K - 1 GO/2 FO

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:L 9-7 vs. Tri-City Valley Cats

Devyn Bolasky 1-4, BB
C Luis Torrens 2-5, throwing error (3) - hitting .376/.411/.565 in NYPL
3B Ty McFarland 2-5, HR, 4 RBI - hitting .375 over last 10 games
LF Chris Breen 1-3, 2 BB, K
1B Connor Spencer 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
SS Vince Conde 0-5, K, throwing error (2)
DH Isaias Tejeda 2-5, K - hitting .410 over last 10 games
RF Austin Aune 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 K, throwing error (3)
2B Jake Anderson 0-2, RBI, BB

Dillon McNamara 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R/1 ER, 3 BB, K - 6 GO/2 FO
Sean Carley 0.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R/6 ER - 1 GO/0 FO
Conor Mullee 2.2 IP, H, 5 K - 1 GO/2 FO
Andury Acevedo 1.0 IP, H, BB, 2 K - 0 GO/1 FO

Gulf Coast Yankees 1:W 14-1 vs. GCL Phillies

SS Bryan Cuevas 4-6, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K - hitting .390 over last 10 games
CF Leonardo Molina 2-4, 2B, RBI, SB
1B Dalton Smith 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI
RF Alexander Palma 1-6, RBI
3B Drew Bridges 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB
C Kyle Higashioka 1-3
DH Alvaro Noriega 0-4, BB, K
LF Griffin Gordon 2-4, RBI, BB
2B Billy Fleming 3-5, RBI, K - professional debut

Ty Hensley 2.0 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 2 K, pickoff - 1 GO/1 FO
Austin DeCarr 2.0 IP, H, 2 K - 2 GO/0 FO
Simon De la Rosa 4.0 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 7 K, WP - 3 GO/0 FO
Jose Mesa 1.0 IP, K - 1 GO/0 FO

Gulf Coast Yankees 2: W 2-1 vs. GCL Braves

2B Junior Valera 0-4, K
LF Ericson Leonora 1-4, 2B, K, fielding error (2)
DH Jake Hernandez 1-4, HR, RBI
3B Allen Valerio 0-3, K, throwing error (8)
1B Bo Thompson 0-3, K
RF Jose Figueroa 0-3, K, 2 outfield assists 
C Jesus Aparicio 1-3
SS Tyler Palmer 0-2, BB, K
CF Jordan Barnes 0-1

Branden Pinder 2.0 IP, H, BB, 2 K - 3 GO/0 FO
Derek Callahan 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R/0 ER, BB, K, error on pickoff - 8 GO/3 FO
Hector Martinez 1.2 IP, H, BB - 3 GO/2 FO
Jose Pena 1.1 IP, K - 0 GO/3 FO

Poll
Who was the best Baby Bomber for July 25th?

  141 votes |Results

Game #105 Preview: Blue Jays @ Yankees

0
0

The Blue Jays attempt to snap their 17-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium this afternoon as Drew Hutchison takes on Chris Capuano. The lefty Capuano made the Red Sox out of spring training and appeared in 28 games out of the bullpen before being released and picked up by the Rockies. Then on Thursday the Yankees sent cash to Colorado for the pitcher, who slides right into the starting rotation showing just how banged up New York currently is. In his 31.2 innings in Boston, Capuano had a 4.55 ERA with an ugly 10.5 BB%.

Capuano throws the main four pitches in a fastball (sinker), curveball, slider, and changeup, with the 35-year-old's hard stuff still sitting in the low-90's. Against same-handed hitters the southpaw mainly just throws a fastball and slider, while he's heavily fastball and changeup against right-handed batters. A fun thing to note is that Capuano has thrown 41 curveballs this season and has not got a single batter to whiff on one. I'm not sure that's how curveballs are supposed to work Chris.

Interestingly, an article published three years ago on FanGraphs three years ago noted how Capuano gets a ton of groundballs against left-handed hitters, but much fewer against right-handed hitters. That weird trend has continued this season as he has a 45.7 GB% rate against lefties, while that number drops to 27.1% against right-handed hitters. I don't have much of an explanation, but it is clear that he keeps the ball very low in the zone:

Vk2vsiv_medium

Bullpen Usage

It looks like Todd Redmond is unavailable today for the Blue Jays, while Dellin Betances and David Robertson likely won't be available for the Yankees.

Blue Jays

  • Yesterday- Todd Redmond (3.0 IP, 40 pitches), Brett Cecil (1.0 IP, 8 pitches), Dustin McGowan (1.0 IP, 12 pitches)
  • Two Days Ago- Todd Redmond (1.0 IP, 25 pitches), Rob Rasmussen (1.0 IP, 20 pitches)

Yankees

  • Yesterday- David Huff (1.0 IP, 7 pitches), Shawn Kelley (0.1 IP, 6 pitches), Dellin Betances (1.0 IP, 11 pitches), David Robertson (1.0 IP, 10 pitches)
  • Two Days AgoAdam Warren (0.2 IP, 13 pitches), Matt Thornton (0.1 IP, 1 pitch), Dellin Betances (1.0 IP, 9 pitches), David Robertson (1.0  IP, 17 pitches)

Hopeful Lineup

It's becoming clear why the Yankees are happy to start a southpaw they just acquired against this Blue Jays roster.

  1. Jose Reyes SS
  2. Melky Cabrera DH
  3. Jose Bautista RF
  4. Dioner Navarro C
  5. Colby Rasmus CF
  6. Steve Tolleson 3B
  7. Dan Johnson 1B
  8. Ryan Goins 2B
  9. Anthony Gose LF

Find the Link

Find the link between Chris Capuano and the 2005-2006 NCAAB player of the year.

Yankees lineup vs. Blue Jays - Changes to Hall of Fame balloting are bad

0
0

Chris Capuano makes today's start as Shane Greene is pushed back a day and Chase Whitley moves into the bullpen.

Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, and Jacoby Ellsbury remain up top, while Carlos Beltran is the DH and Brian McCann gets back behind the plate. Chase Headley starts at third base, while Ichiro Suzuki, fresh off his first home run of the season, plays in right. Brian Roberts remains glued to second base forever and Francisco Cervelli gets his turn at first base.

The Baseball Hall of Fame made a very bizarre change to their balloting policy by reducing the maximum amount of years a player can stay on the ballot from 15 years to only 10. Players currently on the ballot who have gone past the 10-year mark but have not yet fallen off completey, like Don Mattingly, have been grandfathered in and allowed to stay, but the new rule doesn't make a lot of sense. It gives players less of a chance to get into Cooperstown while still restricting how many players a voter can vote for. In the coming years there will be a huge influx of potential Hall of Famers and this rule doesn't help solve the logjam at all, it just gets rid of people faster. The only way to get people in faster is to do something about how the voters vote, not change how long they have to decide. That will just end in unhappiness. If I was a conspiracy theorist, I would say that this change was made to get people like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens off the ballot faster. Steroids are the wooooorst!

A few days ago the Yankees signed undrafted free agent Billy Fleming out of the Cape Cod League. The second baseman will forgo his senior year at West Virginia University in order to start his professional career in the Yankees organization. In 2014, Fleming was named Big 12 player of the week (March 17-23) and made the All-Big 12 First Team. He made his debut last night going 3-5 in the GCL.

The Yankees and the silliness of the second Wild Card spot

0
0

The Yankees could find themselves in a one game do-or-die situation with a team so much better than them that it's preposterous.

It pretty much goes without saying that the Yankees are eyeing a division championship and trying to avoid getting stuck with a Wild Card birth. After all, the thought of a one game playoff isn't particularly palatable to anyone, even a playoff-starved franchise like the New York Yankees. But just because you can't get filet mignon doesn't mean you pass on a tasty burger. On the strength of their victory yesterday over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees today sit alone in sole possession of that second Wild Card spot. As my mind thinks over the possibility of the matchup, yet another silly development that's the brainchild of Bud Selig's bizarre reign, I can't help but laugh at the potential disaster for Yankees opponent.

Short of some sort of massive implosion befalling the teams or another squad getting as hot as the sun, the likely other participant in the Wild Card play-in game will be either the Oakland A's or the Los Angeles Angels. These two would also be known as the teams with the best records in all of baseball. They also have the two best run differentials in baseball (+160 and +86, respectively), which when compared to the Yankees -25 makes them look like demigods. Even just a cursory glance at the three teams' rosters is enough to be thoroughly impressed with the two AL West squads and shrug your shoulders at the Yankees. It would be a David vs Goliath situation to be sure. But it certainly helped David that he didn't have to fight Goliath in a best out of seven situation.

Now obviously either of these teams would be favorites in the play-in game against the Yankees, particularly if they're not sending Masahiro Tanaka or some as of yet un-acquired ace to the mound. Plus they'll have home field advantage, which is helpful if often overrated. But baseball's postseason is notoriously sketchy when it comes to actually crowning one of  the very best teams in the league, and that's only compounded when you shorten a series to one game. Inferior players put up great stats in short series all the time, but just a single game? Any big leaguer can be a hero. Would it really be that surprising if Mike Trout put up an 0-4 while Brendan Ryan smacked a vital RBI single? All that work over 162 games boiled down to a couple of bad bounces or mistakes.

Of course I would shed nary a tear for either of those potential opponents was surprised by the Yankees in what amounts to only a slightly-weighted coin flip. But I can't help but be amused how preposterous it is that either the A's or Angels could potentially be rewarded for their excellent seasons with such a dangerous postseason situation. The scenario is only exacerbated by the fact that the Yankees aren't very good. In the end, we should all be thankful that the Yankees' Plan B is so rife with potential for a fluke upset. I think it's bad for baseball as a whole, but it's certainly good fortune for us.


Blue Jays win 6-4 as sloppy New York defense helps Toronto snap Yankee Stadium losing streak

0
0

Blue Jays 6 Yankees 4

The much talked about Yankee Stadium losing streak for the Blue Jays came to an end at 17 games this afternoon, as Dan Johnson and some sloppy New York defense powered Toronto to a 6-4 win. Drew Hutchison was pretty solid allowing only two runs and should quiet talk of him possibly being moved out of the rotation.

The game started with a little bit of funny business in the first inning after Jose Bautista was plunked by Chris Capuano after hitting two home runs last night. Then in the bottom half, another home run hitter from Friday in Carlos Beltran was plunked by Drew Hutchison which led to warnings being handed out by home plate umpire Alan Porter. Gregg Zaun went on to say that the HBP from Hutchison was CLEARLY unintentional, BUT he would love to see Drew do more of those types of things (which makes no sense at all). At this point I could hardly handle the drivel coming out of my TV and decided to mute it for the remainder of the game.

Regardless of the warnings, the umpiring was pretty bad all day with a checked swing by Jose Reyes in the first at-bat of the game being called a third strike without even an appeal to first base. There was also this low strike call to Melky Cabrera that got the Blue Jays dugout all riled up:

Fastmap_php_medium

via www.brooksbaseball.net

Luckily it went both ways this afternoon as a Dan Johnson at-bat looked like this in the top of the fourth (red for strikes, green for balls):

Screen_shot_2014-07-26_at_2.05.26_pm_medium

via MLB.com

The initial innings went along fairly smoothly aside from the plunkings until the fourth when Jacoby Ellsbury saved an extra-base hit by Colby Rasmus with a tremendous play in center field. Then in the bottom half, Brian McCann smashed a two-run homer to center field that opened the scoring. The home run came on a elevated changeup, which Hutchison seemed to be throwing a lot more than the usual 12.54% rate so far this season.

The Blue Jays got both runs back in the fifth after a Melky Cabrera double down the left field line scored Jose Reyes all the way from first on an aggressive call by Luis Rivera to send the speedy shortstop home. This was shortly followed by a Steve Tolleson sacrifice fly to center field that scored Cabrera. In the sixth, Drew Hutchison hit Francisco Cervelli after the Yankees catcher didn't react to the ball flying towards his arm at 90mph. Thankfully Alan Porter realized this and didn't eject Hutchison much to the chagrin of Joe Girardi and company.

After Shawn Kelley relieved Chris Capuano in the seventh, the Blue Jays loaded the bases which was helped by Brian McCann playing first base like a dingus not deciding whether he wanted to throw home, touch first base, or throw to second. That resulted in all runners being safe and lefty Matt Thornton coming into the game in an attempt to clean up Kelley's mess against Dan Johnson and the rest of the lefty-heavy bottom half of the Blue Jays lineup. Johnson proceeded to get jammed and squib it to second baseman Brian Roberts who did his best indecisive McCann impersonation (while also being kicked by McCann for good measure) allowing all the baserunners to once again advance safely, scoring Melky Cabrera. A Rasmus strikeout and Goins groundout limited the damage, but the Blue Jays still took the lead 3-2.

Aaron Loup came on to get the final out of the seventh inning for the Blue Jays and proceeded to stay in the game for the eighth as well. After some tough calls led to two straight walks, the southpaw got out of the inning on this close strikeout call to Brett Gardner that no one in Yankee Stadium appreciated very much:

Screen_shot_2014-07-26_at_4.02.38_pm_medium

via MLB.com

The Blue Jays got some serious insurance in the ninth when Dan Johnson slugged a three-run homer to the short porch in right field off CANADIAN Jeff Francis. I'm sure if the Yankee fans hadn't started leaving before the homer even got to the seats they would still be chanting "USA USA USA"  despite how idiotic it is.

Casey Janssen entered the game in the ninth without a chance for the save, but still with the opportunity to crack another ugly trend aside from the Yankee Stadium losing streak:

That streak didn't snap as Janssen gave up a big two-run home run to Carlos Beltran because OBVIOUSLY he didn't have the same intensity in a non-save situation. Other than the homer it was a clean ninth inning and the Blue Jays finally snapped the annoying 17-game Yankee Stadium losing streak.

To sum up some of the noteworthy performances:

  • Drew Hutchison went 6.2 innings allowing two runs on five hits, while striking out seven hitters.
  • Dan Johnson went 2-5 with four RBI and the insurance home run in the ninth.
  • Dioner Navarro was 3-5 with a double in the ninth.
  • Brett Gardner was 0-5 with three strikeouts.
  • Chris Capuano went 6.0 innings allowing just two earned runs on five hits, which was impressive for the newly acquired Yankee.

Jays of the Day include Drew Hutchison (.174 WPA), Aaron Loup (.162), Melky Cabrera (.146), Jose Bautista (.220), and Dioner Navarro (.188). Suckage Jays are Ryan Goins (-.144 WPA) and Anthony Gose (-.139).


Source: FanGraphs

Tomorrow sees the rubber match of the series get underway at 1:05 as J.A. Happ gets the start against rookie Shane Greene. The Blue Jays are undefeated at Yankee Stadium in the past one game, so let's see if they can keep the streak going tomorrow.

Yankees 4, Blue Jays 6: Late inning mistakes doom Yankees

0
0

Sigh.

A combination of poor fielding from Brian Roberts and Brian McCann and a poor inning from Chase Whitley and Jeff Francis lost this game for the Yankees. Chris Capuano had a decent outing in his first start for the Yankees. And while the offense didn't go off against Drew Hutchison, it had kept the Yankees in the game. And then in the seventh, a pair of bizarre fielding mistakes from Roberts and McCann put the Yankees in a hole. And it only got worse from there. A bad ninth inning from Whitley and Francis put the game out of reach and gave the Blue Jays a 6-4 win.

After some early shenanigans and runner stranding from both teams, the Yankees scored first in the bottom of the fourth. Carlos Beltran drew a lead-off walk and would score when McCann crushed a home run. After four innings, the Yankees led 2-0.

Capuano had escaped some jams early, but the Blue Jays finally got on the board in the fifth. With one out in the inning, Jose Reyes drew a walk. Melky Cabrera then ripped a double to left field. That scored a run and made it 2-1. After throwing two balls to Jose Bautista, they gave him two free ones for an intentional walk. Dioner Navarro then added a single, loading the bases. Capuano then got Steve Tolleson to fly out to center. However, it was deep enough to score a run and tie the game. Dan Johnson would fly out to end the inning, preventing any more damage.

Shawn Kelley would come out to start the seventh inning, ending Capuano's day. He went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks. It wasn't a bad outing in his Yankee debut.

Kelley walked Cabrera to start the seventh inning. Bautista then ripped a double to left, putting two on with nobody out. Navarro came up next and he grounded one to McCann at first. McCann looked to third and successfully kept Cabrera there, but he had a brain fart and couldn't get back to first in time to get the out. Kelley came back to strike out Tolleson for the first out. After that, Matt Thornton was brought in to face Johnson. Johnson popped one up to the grass in front of the left side of the infield. Roberts was the closest person to it, but he froze as it was in the air and it would drop in for a single. Cabrera scored and the Blue Jays now had a 3-2 lead. Thornton got the next two hitters out to keep the deficit at just one run. Thornton would pitch a scoreless inning in the eighth after the Yankees couldn't score in the bottom of the seventh.

In the bottom of the eighth, Roberts and Francisco Cervelli drew a pair of one out walks, but the Yankees couldn't bring any runs home, keeping the score at 3-2.

Whitley came out to start the ninth, but got himself in some trouble after walking Bautista and allowing a double to Navarro. He would strike out Tolleson, but the Yankees then went back to the bullpen and brought in Francis. This first batter he faced would be Johnson, who hit a crushing three-run home run to make it 6-2. Francis got out of the inning after that, but the damage had been done.

Casey Janssen came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Jacoby Ellsbury picked up a one-out single, followed by a Beltran home run. As expected, the Yankees picked up a couple runs in the ninth, but still fell short. The Blue Jays got the next two outs and picked up a 6-4 win over the Yankees.

The series finale against the Blue Jays will be tomorrow at 1:05 eastern. Shane Greene and J.A. Happ will be the starting pitchers.

Box score.

Mariners can't even lose properly, defeating Orioles, 4-3

0
0

Well, finally.

Chart-2

Edgar Martinez: Chris Young (.290 WPA)

Cooperstown: Joe Beimel (-.067 WPA)

Well, the Mariners just scored as many runs in three hours as they had scored in the previous 96, and while that sounds remarkable in the abstract, it's actually kind of depressing. Still, depressing doesn't show up in the box score. Wins do, and runs, and the Mariners got both of those today thanks to a great outing from Chris Young backed up by bats actually making contact with baseballs.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Chris Young could be the most valuable Mariner this season behind Felix and Cano. Today he continued his remarkable ability to regress upward, lasting seven innings and striking out eight Orioles hitters. His recent uptick in strikeouts has been a topic of discussion across the baseball interwebs recently, but it's still amazing to actually watch unfold: Young will probably pitch one more time before the month of July ends, but his 31 strikeouts on the month are more than he had throughout all of April and May. Regression was supposed to be happening soon. It's not.

And honestly, this is even more impressive than an Ibanez 2013 situation. This is true value finding its way onto a team that desperately needed it. Fangraphs puts Chris Young at 0.3 wins on the year, but that's mostly because of his bizarre xFIP trickery. His bWAR is 2.5. On paper, Iwakuma is clearly a more valuable pitcher, but baseball doesn't happen on paper, and the Mariners basically just turned Randy Wolf into Anibal Sanchez. That's better value.

But yes, on to the goings on of the ballgame, I guess. The first hit of the day came in the top of the third, when Delmon Young dropped a single in front of Corey Hart in right field. Yes, you read that correctly. It would be irresponsible to say anything about Corey Hart's work out there today other than "Somehow his knees did not spontaneously combust" or "Look, you can see him breathing" or "Yeah but Nelson Cruz was in left field" because he only had to catch a single pop up. He also went 0-3 on the day, and was pulled in the seventh for Stefen Romero which continues to be a thing. Romero promptly looked at three pitches in the eighth, which also continues to be a thing. I am now going to stop talking about Corey Hart and Stefen Romero.

The good news is that the Mariners actually put some runs on the board this time. In the third inning, Jesus Sucre dribbled a ball right over the head of Orioles Ryan Flaherty and into right field to put him on first base, later going to third on a Dustin Ackley check-swing double. Robinson Cano came up to the plate, and Buck Showalter, the ever-noble elder statesman of the AL East, decided to put him on base because Yankees. Bases juiced for Kendrys Morales, cleanup hitter of the second-half 2014 Seattle Mariners.

Kendrys quickly fell behind to a 1-2 count, and failed to check his swing on a pitch from Bud Norris in the dirt. Except then that pitch did the whole magic bullet thing and found Kendrys' foot, plating the first run of the game for the M's. And they were lucky, because he definitely swung at it. This is admittedly not a great angle, but you can kind of see it here with the blurry motion of the bat:

Screen_shot_2014-07-26_at_3.53.49_pm

After this, Kyle Seager sent a run across the board with a single of his own, and then Corey Hart struck out which is a problem because I said I wasn't going to talk about him anymore but I had to right here. After Hart, Logan Morrison found good contact with a pitch, sending it into left past the ever elusive glove of Nelson Cruz. Kyle Seager saw this rounding second, and took off for third just as the ball rolled under Cruz's dancing feet. The problem was, though, that Kendrys was standing in the shade past third base, staring into Edgar's Cantina with a blank stare on his face with a stop sign on the basepaths. Seager immediately put on the brakes inches away from Machado at third, but the ball was on the way back to the infield, and Kendrys had no choice but to stumble home for the tag. Inning over, but 3-0 Mariners.

Back-to-back doubles off Ackley and Cano in the bottom of the fifth would give the M's their fourth run of the ballgame, and they would need it after Young left in the eighth. Danny Farquhar uncharacteristically plunked Adam Jones after getting two quick outs, and then walked Nelly Can't-Get-On-Base-At-Safeco Cruz. Lloyd saw enough and quickly threw Joe Beimel in, and suddenly it was 2-4 Mariners after Seager misplayed a Chris Davis grounder. Medina gave up run number three, and the meltdown was in sight. The best bullpen in the American League was about to shit the bed and send the Mariners packing for their fifth straight loss.

Which, you know, made Fernando Rodney's career save #200 all the more exciting as he threw out David Lough trying to steal second, and the Mariners ended the four-game losing streak with an arrow shot into second base and a double shaving-cream pie celebration in the dugout. See, it would be selling these guys short to call them the best bullpen by ERA and opponent average. They are also the best bullpen as teammates, giving the fans a little drama and their 37-year old teammate a chance at a career milestone. We really have the best guys on this team, we do.

So yes, M's win on the day and head into tomorrow's Elias start with a little ground to makeup in the wildcard race. I know this doesn't make yesterday or last week feel any better, though. The M's are still standing at the edge of a deep precipice, all too fascinated with the sound of pebbles trickling down into the murky depths with each kick of the feet. What they need to do is look up and realize that falling five-hundred feet to your death really hurts. What they will do has yet to be seen. But one thing is for certain: they have yet to fall, and it would do everyone service to remember that. Including themselves.

QUESTIONS

1. Which reasonable trade chip would you have the most difficult time seeing leave Seattle?

2. Best place to watch Mariners games besides Safeco or your home:

3. Favorite cartoon from your childhood:

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 7/27/14

0
0

YES Network | Lou DiPietro: Ex-Yankee Michey Rivers believes that the speed of Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner will be very important for the offense going forward.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Since coming back from injury, Francisco Cervelli has been a big part of the team.

MLB.com | Barry M. Bloom: On the verge of his Hall of Fame induction, Joe Torre reflects on his time in the Bronx.

Baseball Prospectus | Sam Miller: A breakdown of the Chase Headley trade and how it affects both the Yankees and the Padres.

SB Nation | Rodger Sherman: Watch as Chris Capuano almost hits a dragonfly with a baseball.

Hardball Talk | Craig Calcaterra: A guide on how to troll fans of all 30 teams, including Yankees fans, who might be the hardest to troll.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: After beating the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium 17 times in a row, the streak finally comes to an end.


Baby Bomber Recap 7/26/14: Jake Cave nearly hits for cycle as Tyler Austin goes 4-4 for Trenton

0
0

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from July 26th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 8-5 vs. Pawtucket Red Sox

2B Jose Pirela 1-4, BB, K - hitting .146 over last 10 games
RF Rob Refsnyder 0-4, RBI, BB, 2 K
LF Zoilo Almonte 0-4, BB, 3 K
DH Adonis Garcia 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
1B Austin Romine 1-4, BB
C John Ryan Murphy 2-4, 2 RBI, K, PB
3B Rob Segedin 0-4, 2 K
CF Antoan Richardson 1-4, K
SS Carmen Angelini 2-4, K

Bruce Billings 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 WP - 52 of 86 pitches for strikes, 3 GO/4 FO
Jeremy Bleich 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 K, HR - 30 of 53 pitches for strikes, 1 GO/3 FO
Jim Miller 2.1 IP, 2 H, 4 K - 26 of 37 pitches for strikes, 1 GO/1 FO
Edgmer Esaclona 1.0 IP, H, 2 K - 14 of 19 pitches for strikes, 0 GO/1 FO

Double-A Trenton Thunder: L 10-7 vs. Binghamton Mets

RF Jake Cave 4-5, 2B, 2 3B, BB, throwing error
LF Ben Gamel 2-6, 2 RBI, K
C Gary Sanchez 3-6, RBI - hitting .326 over last 
1B Peter O`Brien 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, K - 31st homer of the season
DH Tyler Austin 4-4, 2 RBI, BB - hitting .459 over last 10 games
Mason Williams 1-4, BB
3B Dan Fiorito 0-5, 2 K
2B Jose Toussen 1-5, K, SB, fielding error
SS Ali Castillo 1-5

Jaron Long 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R/4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HR - 51 of 86 for strikes, 4 GO/5 FO
Phil Wetherell 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R/2 ER, BB, WP - 25 of 39 pitches for strikes, 5 GO/1 FO
James Pazos 1.0 IP, 2 BB, HBP - 11 of 28 pitches for strikes, 2 GO/0 FO
Diego Moreno 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 K - 16 of 24 pitches for strikes, 2 GO/0 FO

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 8-6 vs. Fort Myers Miracle

LF Jose Rosario 1-5, BB
RF Aaron Judge 2-6 - hitting .325 over last 10 games
1B Greg Bird 0-2, 3 BB, SB - hitting .412/.523/.765 over last 10 games
Dante Bichette 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
3B Eric Jagielo 2-4, 2 RBI, K
2B Angelo Gumbs 1-5, 2B, RBI, K
SS Cito Culver 0-5, 2 K
CF Claudio Custodio 0-5, 4 K, outfield assist
C Wes Wilson 2-4, K, HBP

Miguel Sulbaran 5.0 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR - 5 GO/3 FO
Chris Smith 2.0 IP, BB, 2 K - 3 GO/0 FO
Alex Smith 2.0 IP, H, BB, 4 K, WP, pickoff 1 GO/0 FO
Ramon Benjamin 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K, HBP - 1 GO/2 FO

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 8-7 vs. Asheville Tourists

CF Mark Payton 2-7, 2 RBI - hitting .390/.500/.585 over last 10 games
DH Abiatal Avelino 0-6, 2 K
SS Tyler Wade 1-4, BB, K, HBP, fielding error (17)
3B Miguel Andujar 1-6, HR, 2 RBI, K
LF Michael O`Neill 3-6, 2B, 2 K, outfield assist - hitting .341 over last 10 games
C Jackson Valera 1-3, 2B
1B Reymond Nunez 1-4, K, 2 HBP
2B Gosuke Katoh 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB
RF Brandon Thomas 1-6, 2B, 3 K

Gabriel Encinas 3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 K, HR - 35 of 49 pitches for strikes, 2 GO/3 FO
Luis Niebla 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, BB, K, HR, 2 HBP - 43 of 65 pitches for strikes, 9 GO/2 FO
Eric Ruth 3.0 IP, 2 H, BB, K - 23 of 34 pitches for strikes, 3 GO/1 FO
Giovanny Gallegos 2.0 IP, H, BB, 2 K - 16 of 28 pitches for strikes, 3 GO/1 FO

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:L 16-3 vs. Tri-City Valley Cats

SS Vince Conde 0-5, K
C Luis Torrens 1-4, K - hitting .341 over last 10 games
2B Ty McFarland 0-4, 2 K, fielding error (11)
LF Chris Breen 0-4, 2 K
CF Austin Aune 1-4, 2 K
DH Isaias Tejeda 1-4, HR, RBI, K - hitting .381 over last 10 games
1B Connor Spencer 1-4
RF Nathan Mikolas 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K
3B Renzo Martini 1-4, fielding error (6)

Jordan Cote 2.0 IP, 6 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR, HBP - 3 GO/1 FO
Sam Agnew-Wieland 2.0 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 K - 3 GO/0 FO
Matt Borens 2.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R/4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, HR - 6 GO/2 FO
Tim Giel 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R/1 ER, K, HR - 2 GO/1 FO

Gulf Coast Yankees 1: L 4-2vs. GCL Phillies

SS Bryan Cuevas 1-3, RBI, BB, 2 K, throwing error (4)
CF Leonardo Molina 1-4, 2 K
1B Dalton Smith 0-4
RF Alexander Palma 0-4
3B Drew Bridges 1-3, HR, RBI, BB, K
Kyle Higashioka 1-3, 2 K
DH Alvaro Noriega 0-4
LF Miguel Mojica 0-4, 2 K
2B Billy Fleming 1-2, HBP

Andrew Chin - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K - professional debut
Gean Batista 3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R/2 ER, BB, 4 K, WP - 4 GO/1 FO
Manolo Reyes 2.0 IP, BB, 2 K - 0 GO/3 FO
Deshorn Lake 2.0 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 K - 4 GO/0 FO

Gulf Coast Yankees 2: W 6-3 vs. GCL Braves

2B Junior Valera 1-3, HR, RBI, BB, K
LF Ericson Leonora 1-4, BB, K
SS Angel Aguilar 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K
DH Jake Hernandez 2-5, HR, RBI, 2 K
3B Allen Valerio 1-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K
CF Frank Frias 0-4, SB
C Jesus Aparicio 1-2, BB
1B Bo Thompson 1-4
RF Wilmer Romero 2-4, 2B, RBI, K

Melvin Morla 5.0 IP, H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K - 5 GO/1 FO
Lee Casas 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K - 1 GO/1 FO
Felix Santiago 1.2 IP, 2 H, ER - 3 GO/0 FO
Alex Polanco 0.1 IP, H, 2 BB, K
Mike Noteware 0.2 IP - 0 GO/1 FO

Poll
Who was the best Baby Bomber for July 26th?

  82 votes |Results

Viewing all 4714 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images