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The up and down season of Jacoby Ellsbury continues

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He got the biggest contract the Yankees handed out during the offseason, but Jacoby Ellsbury has struggled to find any semblance of consistency at the plate during his first year in pinstripes.

During the offseason, the Yankees brought in Jacoby Ellsbury in part to replace some of the offensive production that they expected to lose if Robinson Cano ended up bolting from the Bronx.  While Cano did leave and has continued to produce in the Pacific Northwest, Ellsbury's 2014 campaign has been...okay.  He hasn't been massively productive, but he hasn't been awful either, and his play has neither validated his large contract nor made it seem like a complete waste.  For much of the season, Ellsbury has been quite inconsistent at the plate, scorching hot one month and tepid the next.  When coupled with all the other fluctuations the Yankees have had in their lineup this year, this has helped to make the 2014 Yankees one of New York's most aggressively mediocre offensive teams in recent memory (and after 2013, that's saying something).

Ellsbury's basically had two great months at the plate and two pretty terrible ones, with an average July thrown in between.  He got off to a terrific start in April, hitting .312 with a 126 wRC+, while collecting nine doubles, two triples, and swiping eight bases to help carry the Yankees to a 15-12 record. Then, Ellsbury's bat vanished.  He hit .231/.317/.327 in May, posting a 79 wRC+.  A month later though, he leapt off the struggle bus with authority, hitting .324/.390/.419 with a 129 wRC+ in June.  Then again in July, his production dropped, and while it wasn't quite to the extent of May's decline, he hit only .250 with a 102 wRC+.

After a fairly productive summer, though, Ellsbury has fallen into a rut again here in August, just when the Yankees needed him most.  So far this month, he's hitting just .257 for an 83 wRC+.  While slumps are just a part of baseball, it'd be nice to see a little more consistency from one of the Yankees' highest paid hitters, and probably one of their overall best players.

No one expected him to replicate his ridiculous 2011 numbers, but it would've been nice if Ellsbury could get a bit closer to last year's .298/.355/.426 triple slash and its relatively consistent level of production (he only had a monthly wRC+ lower than 100 once in 2013).  None of this is to say that Ellsbury has been awful this year - his 105 wRC+ is only slightly lower than his career average.  Still, his peaks haven't been quite as high as they have been in the past, and his slumps have been a bit worse and a bit more frequent than during his last season in Boston. But at least he's healthy. It's certainly been an up and down season for the Yankee center fielder, but hopefully he'll follow the trend and bounce back strong in September.

If he doesn't hit enough to keep the Yankees within striking distance, though, it might be too little, too late.


The Yankees' offense is acutally worse since the trade deadline

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It seems crazy to say that one of the worst offenses in baseball is actually worse than it appears, but that's the truth.

The New York Yankees are the second worst team in the American League at scoring runs (hello Boston!).

The Yanks' 3.92 runs per game is actually below the National League average. So the Yankees are so bad, that they're worse than the average team that lets their pitcher hit.

And with that said, the Yankees were actually playing better baseball before they parted ways with Alfonso Soriano and Brian Roberts. While the Yankee offense for the year has played about 10% below league average (park adjusted according to wRC+), in August that has actually fallen to 20% below average, and the smoking gun is that their on-base percentage has collapsed from an anemic .310 in the first half to a truly offensive (the other kind) .280 since the trade deadline.

Recent additions Stephen Drew (.224) and Martin Prado (.266) certainly carry a fair share of blame, and with 3 homers and 8 doubles between them, it's not as though they're slugging their way to relevancy. Maybe there's a reason they were available so cheaply?

The team's .272 BABIP suggests that a combination of weak contact and bad luck has been costly of late. The time Brian McCann lost to a concussion has actually helped because Francisco Cervelli has led the team in August with a .296/.367/.519 line. Ichiro filling in for Carlos Beltran has been nearly as good at .345/.355/.414. Derek Jeter's latest slump (.225/.247/.296 in August) will surely be papered over by the Intangible Farewell Tour (and maybe that's ok).

All of this has small sample size stitched into it, but we're not talking about expecting Cervelli to slug .500 for his career or for Ichiro to turn back the clock in 2015. If we want the Yankees to win a playoff spot, they need to play their most efficient lineup, and right now that might mean Cervelli behind the plate for more than just Brandon McCarthy's starts. It might mean seeing Derek Jeter getting a lot more "rest" and accepting the better glove of Drew or Brendan Ryan.

The Yankees haven't run out of time yet, but they have to figure out how to win with the team they have.

Yankees 5, White Sox 3: Prado the star again as Yankees win third straight

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Hiroki Kuroda was good but it was another nice day from Martin Prado that put the Yankees over the top.

After getting the walk-off hit last night, Martin Prado continued his hot hitting today. He picked up three hits and drove in two of the Yankees' runs. And throw in six solid innings from Hiroki Kuroda and that added up to a nice 5-3 win over the White Sox on Joe Torre Day.

Chicago got on the board first in the top of the second. Conor Gillaspie led of the inning with a double off Kuroda. Alexi Ramirez followed that with a double of his own. That scored Gillaspie and made it 1-0. Kuroda came back to strike out the side but Chicago now had an early lead.

The Yankees quickly got that run back in the bottom of the second. Mark Teixeira drew a walk to lead off the inning. Carlos Beltran came up next and he grounded one towards second. It looked like it would be an easy double play ball, but Carlos Sanchez booted it and both runners were safe. Prado then laid down a bunt. Jose Abreu fielded it, but some White Sox derp allowed Prado to be safe with a single. That meant the bases were loaded with nobody out. Chase Headley then grounded into a double play. It wasn't optimal but it scored a run to tie the game.

Two innings later, the Yankees took the lead. Brian McCann led off the inning with a double. After Teixeira drew a second walk, Beltran punched a single through. McCann was held up at third, but Teixeira didn't realize it and got himself caught in a rundown. He stayed in it long enough for Beltran to move up to second, but that play will not be going on Tex's highlight reel. Prado came up next and he laced a double to left, that scored both runners and gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead.

The White Sox got one of those runs back in the top of the fifth. Alejandro De Aza led off the inning by drawing a walk. A wild pitch during Sanchez's at bat allowed him to move to second and he would come around to score when Abreu doubled. Kuroda then got Adam Dunn to ground into an inning-ending double play to keep the lead intact.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Yankees were able to extend their lead back out when Beltran led of the inning with a home run. After that, Prado chopped a hit into left field. He tried extending it to a double but was called out after the throw beat him to the bag. However, on closer look, Prado got his hand in before the tag was made and the call was reversed. Prado moved to third when Headley grounded out and scored on a Stephen Drew sac fly. After six innings it was 5-2 Yankees.

Shawn Kelley would come out to start the seventh inning, ending Kuroda's day. Hirok went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six. Jordan Danks led off the seventh inning with a single. After Adrian Nieto struck out, De Aza doubled, putting runners at second and third. Kelley then got Sanchez to ground out, but it was enough to score a run. That brought up Abreu as the tying run. Abreu wound up walking, leading Girardi to go back to the bullpen and bring in Dellin Betances to face Dunn. Betances got him to fly out to the warning track in right field.

After the Yankees couldn't add to their lead in the seventh, Adam Warren pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eighth.

The Yankees again went down in order in the eighth, meaning it was time for David Robertson to come in and try and get the save. Other than a walk to Paul Konerko, Robertson got through the inning without much trouble. That sealed a 5-3 win over the White Sox, giving the Yankees their third straight win.

The Yankees and White Sox will finish up their series tomorrow at 1:05 eastern. The starting pitching matchup will be a battle of the Chrises. It'll be Chris Capuano for the Yankees and Chris Sale for Chicago. Pretty even if you ask me.

Box score.

Manny Machado Injury: Are Orioles doomed without their third baseman?

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They'll likely make the playoffs, but then what?

Manny Machado's season-ending knee surgery will test the Orioles' depth and Chris Davis' ability to play third base, both of which could be tough on the O's come playoff time.

With a 73-54 record and a seven-game lead over the second-place Yankees, Baltimore is hardly in danger of missing out on the postseason. The Orioles have 35 games over which they'll have to maintain their lead, which is the largest current margin in baseball between a first- and second-place team.

But Machado's absence could spell trouble if the team reaches October. Though he'll finish the season with just a .278 batting average, he was hitting .351 since returning from his five-game suspension, during which—as Yahoo! Sports' Tim Brown notes—the Orioles were 19-9.

With Machado out, Chris Davis will move across the diamond to third base and Steve Pearce—who's hitting .288 with an .867 OPS in his breakout season—will play first base. That means the offense might not take much of a hit; rather, the team's defense is likely to be the bigger issue.

In 655.2 career innings across 80 games at third base, Davis has a -31.2 UZR/150, according to FanGraphs, a far cry from his -1.1 career UZR/150 total at first base. That difference has been particularly pronounced in 2014: Davis' UZR/150 at first base is 52.2 points higher than it is at third, and he's playing the worst defense of his career at the hot corner.

Baltimore already needed all the defensive help it could get. The team's starting pitching hasn't been indicative of a dominant first-place team, with a rotation that has constantly been in flux and doesn't feature a starter with an ERA under 3.55.

Luckily, the Orioles staff as a whole doesn't rely on ground balls to get outs. (Though that might explain the rotation's struggles this season, especially while pitching in the hitter-friendly Camden Yards, where grounders can be a pitcher's best friend.) Chris Tillman and Wei-Yin Chen have identical ground-ball percentages of 40.9, falling significantly below the league average of 45 percent, while Bud Norris sits at 42.7 percent and Kevin Gausman comes in at 41.6.

That doesn't necessarily let Davis off the hook, though it should help mitigate the effect of the defensive downgrade at third base. Either way, Machado's injury could hurt the Orioles in more ways than one, and the team will need Davis to step it up away from his regular position.

Yankees 5, White Sox 3: Bad luck for Scott Carroll

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Defensive miscues, stadium dimensions play a bigger part in loss than poor pitching

Piecing together a bullet-point recap:

*We knowScott Carroll doesn't miss bats -- he didn't strike out a single Yankee -- and that leaves him extremely vulnerable to weird things happening. In this case, he gave up five runs (four earned) over six innings, and he didn't deserve the majority of them.

  • The first run scored because Carlos Sanchez couldn't give Alexei Ramirez a good feed to force out the lead runner, which eventually scored on a double play ball.
  • The Yankees scored two more in the fourth, starting when Alejandro De Aza lost Brian McCann's lazy fly ball in the sun, resulting in a leadoff double. The second run that crossed the plate was on Carroll, but the non-error error changed the inning.
  • Carlos Beltran's solo shot scraped the top of Yankee Stadium's short porch in right field.

*After being held scoreless over the last eight innings on Friday's game, the White Sox offense failed to get the big hit again. They struck for a run in the second on back-to-back doubles by Conor Gillaspie and Alexei Ramirez to take a 1-0 lead, but could only scratch across single runs in the fifth (Jose Abreu single) and seventh (Sanchez RBI groundout).

*The Sox went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight runners. They took some bad swings with runners on scoring position, but Adam Dunn put a surprisingly good swing on a Dellin Betances fastball with runners on the corners and two outs in the seventh inning, but he just didn't get enough loft on it. Ichiro Suzuki caught it on the warning track.

*Matt Lindstrom pitched two scoreless innings, although he required two sliding catches in the outfield in the seventh, and he started a 1-6-3 double play to erase a leadoff HBP in the eighth.

*Though miscues led to two-plus runs, the Sox also made a surprising amount of highlight-worthy plays. It's possible the best play of the game didn't result in an out, as Sanchez made an incredible barehand pick-and-throw while ranging to his right. Alas, Suzuki was the baserunner, so he beat the on-target cross-body throw by a step.

Record: 59-70 | Box score | Play-by-play | Highlights

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 8/24/14

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ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: If you missed it, the Yankees retired Joe Torre's No. 6 before Saturday's game.

Newsday | Steven Marcus: A look back at all the numbers the Yankees have retired, with Derek Jeter destined to be the last single-digit number.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: Masahiro Tanaka made it through a simulated game on Saturday as he inches closer to a return from injury.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Everyone has been impressed by what Martin Prado has done for the Yankees so far.

MLB.com | Marty Noble: On the day the Yankees retired his uniform number, Joe Torre reflects on the choice to don the No. 6 in the first place.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand:Dellin Betances hopes the 2014 Yankees can harness some of the 1996 magic and stay in the playoff race.

Baby Bomber Recap 8/23/14: Greg Bird homers; Miguel Sulbaran pitches seven scoreless

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Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from August 23rd.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: L 2-3W 2-1 vs. Rochester Red Wings

Game 1:

SS Jose Pirela 2-4, 2 SB
2B Rob Refsnyder 0-1, 3 BB, K
3B Scott Sizemore 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K - 5th homer of the season
DH Zoilo Almonte 1-2, double, BB

Manny Banuelos 3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K - 39 of 72 pitches for strikes
Pat Venditte 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, WP

Game 2:

CF Jose Pirela 0-3, 3 K
LF Taylor Dugas 1-3, 2 K
2B Rob Refsnyder 1-3
RF Zoilo Almonte 1-3, HR, RBI - 18th homer of the season
DH Corban Joseph 1-3, double, K

Chris Leroux 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Tyler Webb 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Double-A Trenton Thunder: W 8-4 vs. Harrisburg Senators

RF Jake Cave 2-5, double, 3 RBI, 2 K, SB
C Gary Sanchez 1-5, 4 K, CS
1B Greg Bird 1-4, HR, 1 RBI, K, E3(1st) - 6th homer w/ Trenton
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 1-3, double, BB, K
CF Mason Williams 0-4, K
2B Casey Stevenson 2-3, double, BB
SS Ali Castillo 2-3, double, BB

Joel De La Cruz 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R/2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Francisco Rondon 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, K
Danny Burawa 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa Yankees:W 2-0 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays

CF Mark Payton 1-4, K
3B Eric Jagielo 0-4
RF Aaron Judge 0-3, 3 K
1B Mike Ford 1-3, HR, RBI, K - 1st homer w/ Tampa
2B Jose Rosario 2-3, CS
LF Ericson Leonora 3-3

Miguel Sulbaran 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Chris Smith 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Alex Smith 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 3-2 (11 innings) vs. Rome Braves

DH Abiatal Avelino 0-4, BB
SS Tyler Wade 1-3, BB, K
3B Miguel Andujar 2-5, triple, RBI, K
1B Jackson Valera 1-4, K
2B Gosuke Katoh 0-4, 2 K
CF Claudio Custodio 2-4, RBI, K

Luis Niebla 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Conor Mullee 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Eric Ruth 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Stefan Lopez 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees: W 5-0 vs. Vermont Lake Monsters

SS Jose Javier 1-5, double, 2 K
C Luis Torrens 0-5, 2 K
3B Ty McFarland 1-4, HR, RBI - 5th homer of the season
CF Austin Aune 2-4, double, 2 K
1B Connor Spencer 1-4, 2 K
RF Nathan Mikolas 1-4, 2 RBI, 3 K

Jordan Foley 4 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Jordan Montgomery 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Tim Giel 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

GCL Yankees 1:L 4-6 vs. GCL Pirates

DH Bryan Cuevas 2-4, triple, RBI, K
SS Thairo Estrada 1-3, double, RBI, BB, 2 K
CF Leonardo Molina 0-3, BB, K

Orby Tavares 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Dayton Dawe 0.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R/3 ER, 1 BB, hit batsman
Christopher Cabrera 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP
Matt Marsh 1.2 iP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, WP
Travis Hissong 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

GCL Yankees 2:L 1-5 vs. GCL Tigers

3B Tyler Palmer 1-4, HR, RBI, K - 3rd homer of the season
DH Chris Gittens 2-4, double, K
CF Jose Augusto Figueroa 2-4

Cale Coshow 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, K
Nestor Cortes 4 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Felix Santiago 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Hector Martinez 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB
Abel Mora 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

PSA Comments of the Day 8/24/14: The Passion of the Chris

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The Yankees will attempt to sweep the White Sox this afternoon. To do so, Chris Capuano has to go against Chris Sale. Yes, the really really good pitcher Chris Sale.

Comment of the Game

Blob wins the COTG, sarcastically describing Kelley's role as a relief pitcher.

Best GIF of the Recap

Our BGOTR winner is waw. However, NoMahbles probably would have won if his first image didn't disappear. Ah well, them's the brakes.

Honorable Mod Mention

Matt F posted this in the Game Thread. I think it speaks for itself.

Best Comments of the Day

Blanky's response to a post criticizing Gardner's Gatorade bath celebrations as "bush" was Rec'd a lot. Therefore, it wins. It is the only COTD winner.

Fun Questions

  • Most important current Yankees that the team needs to re-sign?
  • Favorite accent?
Song of the Day

Gust of Wind by Pharrell Williams

As always, link us your Song of the Day!

Chris Capuano will face off against Chris Sale this afternoon. If the Yankees' Chris wins, then they will sweep this series against the White Sox. If their Chris wins, it probably won't be that big of a surprise. The best strategy would be to make Sale work and get to the White Sox bullpen. Said strategy has plagued the Hawk all year long, so much so that he thinks a strong bullpen is worth more than a strong starting staff.

I did not make that up. Let's Go Yankees

Adam Warren is trying to make adjustments

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At least he's trying

After getting off to a really good start this season, Adam Warren has gone from an elite-level reliever (2.79 ERA, 2.70 FIP 1st half) to almost complete bullpen filler (6.55 ERA, 5.32 FIP 2nd half). It's actually not that crazy to wonder why he's even still in the majors at this point, considering he has options, the Yankees' position between the playoffs and oblivion, and the talent they have coming through the pipeline. Perhaps the hardest question to answer is why he's struggling at all.

One reason for his ineffectiveness could have to do with his ability to throw too many strikes:

Zone %Z-Swing %O-Swing %Z-Contact %O-Contact %
201443.268.128.686.062.4
Career41.166.430.584.266.0

He's seen some unfortunate trends in his zone, swing, and contact rates that shows he is throwing the ball over the plate too often. He's giving hitters better pitches to swing at and can't get them to chase out of the zone as much. Instead they're making more contact with pitches inside the zone and when you get better pitches to hit, you're more likely to make solid contact and do more damage.

One narrative that has been mentioned to explain Warren's struggles is fatigue. He started off strong, but now he's falling apart and with the grind of a full season out of the bullpen, throwing every day or every other day at a heightened velocity, he could be wearing down. Warren himself, however, doesn't believe that to be the case:

My body feels fine," Warren said. "I've had a week off between outings, so physically I feel fine. I think it's just one of those funks where I just feel like I can't quite get on top of the ball and feel like my stuff's not quite as sharp. Just trying to get back to good solid mechanics. I feel like I'm getting there. I haven't quite gotten there yet, but I feel like I'm getting closer.

When looking for signs of fatigue, one thing to look out for is a drop in release point because it means his arm/shoulder just doesn't have the strength it once had and his mechanics are falling apart. The odd thing is, though, that his release point has moved quite a bit from April through August, but not in the way that would put up a red flag.

You see, since April, Warren's release point has shifted ever so slightly, month after month. The height of his release point has not changed, but his release point has been moving closer to the middle of the plate.

I looked at some video of him throughout the year to see if I could pick out anything noticeably different, and something popped out to me immediately: His positioning on the mound. Perhaps in an attempt to counteract his struggles the Yankees have had him shift where he sets himself on the mound, that way the movement of his pitches might play up to his advantage.

Warren_apr_2_mediumWarren_aug_2_medium

On the left side is Adam Warren in April. Back at the beginning of the year he set himself with his heels in line with the first base-side of the pitching mound. Now in August, as seen on the right, Warren has his heels past the rubber.

Warren_apr_mediumWarren_aug_medium

During his delivery, April Warren released the ball just to the right of the center of the rubber, whereas August Warren releases the ball just to the left of it.

It's very subtle, but I imagine the slightest change can mean a lot in terms of where your pitches end up around the plate. Warren likes to pitch both lefties and righties down and away, but it's clear his pitches to right-handed batters catch too much of the plate. With a FIP almost one run higher against righties than lefties and right-handed hitters putting up a .335 wOBA against him, he likely wanted to try and find an advantage over them. By moving his delivery to the left, the natural break of his pitches will travel further out of the strikezone, allow his slider to be more of an outpitch, and hopefully push his K-rate against righties closer to what it is against lefties. Or at least that's the theory.

When we're talking about pitching mechanics, the slightest changes can mean a world of difference. As a reliever, Warren has an even smaller sample size from which to work off of and correct his mistakes, so any little thing counts. I just have to wonder if it's helping.

Yankees 7, White Sox 4: McCann walk-off homer sweeps away White Sox

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Walk-off!

Early on, the Yankees struggled to get anything going against Chris Sale. That wasn't surprising, but the four run inning to take the lead against him was. When the Yankees stormed back to take the lead, it looked like they were going to complete the sweep without much drama. But then David Robertson quickly blew the save and we were off to extras. After missing a chance to win the game with a walk-off once in the ninth, Brian McCann did the job the second time around and the Yankees picked up a sweep-completing 7-4 win over the White Sox.

The game did not get off to the best start for the Yankees when Alexi Ramirez led off the game with a home run. That would be the game's only run for quite a while. Chris Capuano settled down after that, while the Yankees' offense couldn't get anything going against Sale.

In the top of the sixth, the White Sox got some offense going again. With one out in the inning, Jose Abreu blopped a single into right field. After Capuano struck out Avisail Garcia, Conor Gillaspie hit a two-run home run. With the way Sale was pitching, 1-0 looked like a difficult deficit to overcome. A 3-0 one looked close to impossible.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Yankees' offense finally found a pulse and found it in a big way. With one out in the inning, Martin Prado reached after left fielder Dayan Viciedo dropped a deep fly ball. With Prado on second, Mark Teixeira ripped a double to left. That scored Prado and made it 3-1. After that, Sale proceeded to walk Carlos Beltran on four pitches. Chase Headley would strike out, leaving the inning up to Francisco Cervelli. Cervelli drew a walk on five pitches to load the bases. Then on the first pitch of the next at bat, Zelous Wheeler was hit by a pitch. That scored a run and made it 3-2. Ichiro Suzuki then added a single. That scored two more runs and out of nowhere, the Yankees had a 4-3 lead.

When Esmil Rogers came out to start the seventh inning, Capuano's day was done. It got messy towards the end, but on the whole, it was an okay outing for him. He went six innings allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five. Rogers and Rich Hill combined to pitch a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

The Yankees couldn't add to their lead in the seventh and Adam Warren would come in to pitch the eighth. For the second straight day, Warren had a nice little outing of the pen. He threw a 1-2-3 inning, which included a big strikeout of Abreu.

Robertson came in to try and get the save after the Yankees couldn't pick up any insurance runs. Garcia came up first and he took a Robertson pitch over the right field wall and suddenly the game was tied. Robertson got the next three outs but it was a blown save and we were headed to the bottom of the ninth.

Jacoby Ellsbury, who had come in earlier for defensive purposes, led of the bottom of the ninth with a single. After Ichiro flew out, Stephen Drew was sent up as a pinch hitter. During Drew's at bat, Ellsbury stole second. After the steal, the White Sox opted to intentionally walk Drew to face Derek Jeter. That tactic worked as Jeter wound up grounding into a inning-ending double play. Off to extras we went.

David Huff came in to pitch in the top of the 10th. He got two outs, but allowed a pair on singles to Jordan Danks and Carlos Sanchez, bringing Abreu up with two on and two out. Huff hugely struck out Abreu to keep the game tied.

In the bottom of the 10th, the first two hitters went down in order relatively quickly. Beltran kept the inning alive with a two-out double. After Headley was intentionally walked, the Yankees sent up McCann as a pinch-hitter. On the seventh pitch of the at bat, McCann curled one just around the foul pole in right field for a three-run home run. In a game that went poorly, then well, then poorly, McCann made sure it ended well as the Yankees completed the sweep over the White Sox with a 7-4 win.

Tomorrow, the Yankees will head out to Kansas City to make up their rained out game against the Royals. The starting pitcher will be Michael Pineda and James Shields, and first pitch will be at 7:10 eastern.

Box score.

Should the Yankees let Masahiro Tanaka pitch again in 2014?

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Is it a good idea for Tanaka to pitch this year?

The rehabilitation of Masahiro Tanaka has gone as well as anyone could hope. The right-hander has steadily progressed from lightly tossing the ball in the outfield to bullpen sessions where he was able to throw fastballs while incorporating his breaking pitches and a few of his trademark split-finger fastballs. The Yankees' ace spoke to reporters after his Wednesday bullpen session:

I feel that I’ve gotten the health to the point where the elbow is fine now. I’m more looking toward playing in a game now. But even with that said, I do have to be cautious about the elbow.

The first half of the quote should be music to the ears of both the Yankee fans and front office alike. Anytime someone suffers a significant injury, trusting that the area is healthy enough handle the stresses of a game is important. On many occasions over the years, pitchers have altered their mechanics in response to an injury only to have another issue develop due to overcompensation.

The second half of the quote is where the Yankees need to give pause and think. Tanaka’s progress has been outstanding; would the team be better off shutting him down after he completes his rehab, or is it right that the team will try to get him into a game this year?

The case for shutting Tanaka down

Tanaka is the most important asset the team possesses. When news first broke that the rookie right-hander partially torn his ulnar collateral ligament, the vast majority of the baseball community assumed that Tommy John surgery would be in his immediate future. The tear was fortunately discovered to be small so a PRP injection along with six weeks of rehabilitation was prescribed as the main course of action.

Andrew wrote an excellent article last month about the effectiveness of the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment.  In the scientific study, the data supported findings that most pitchers suffering from partially torn ulnar collateral ligaments were able to return to their previous effectiveness within twelve weeks.  With the team’s season-long struggle to score runs compounded with their inability to make up ground in the Wild Card, it makes sense to give the Yankee’s best pitcher as much time as possible to ensure his arm is fully recovered.

The case for pitching this year

While the season appears bleak for the New York Yankees, there are still thirty-four games left on the season; with the team only four games out of the second Wild Card, there still exists a chance of the team closing the gap.  If Tanaka is healthy, having him take the slot in the rotation currently belonging to Chris Capuanoaffords the Yankees their best chance of seizing control of the second Wild Card.

Should the worst happen and Tanaka ends up needing Tommy John, (knocks on wood) then knowing immediately versus finding out in spring training provides him the best chance to start 2015 with the MLB club instead of him spending the first several weeks of the regular season still rehabbing.

There are reasons for both allowing Tanaka to pitch this year as well as shutting him down. My personal feelings are that I’d rather see his arm tested during actual game situations this season rather than wait. If it does not work, he’s only gone for one season instead of risking losing him for the entirety of one season and part of another.


Poll
What should the Yankees do with Tanaka?

  42 votes |Results

Why won't the Yankees pursue Cuban talent?

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What do Yasiel Puig, Jose Abreu, Yoenis Cespedes and Rusney Castillo all have in common? None of them play for the Yankees.

Baseball's newest hype machine found itself a home Friday when the Boston Red Sox came to terms with 27-year-old Rusney Castillo on the largest contract ever handed out to a Cuban defector, a seven-year deal worth $72.5 million. Castillo's comps in scouting reports have ranged from Rajai Davis (meh) to a centerfield-capable Ron Gant (for those who don't remember, he was a 30/30 threat for the Braves of the early 90's) to a more powerful Brett Gardner. The Yankees hosted the 5-foot-9, right-handed hitter for a private workout at their Tampa complex on August 8th, but at some point they decided either that he wasn't worth a record commitment or that he simply wasn't a positional fit. Reportedly, they preferred him at second base to the outfield, where he played in Cuba.

There was once a time when the road from Cuba's Serie Nacional to the American Major Leagues seemed to run through the Bronx. The Yankees were all over Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez from the moment he hopped on a northward bound boat on Christmas Day, 1997 and they were well rewarded for their $6.6 million commitment. Five years later, despite the failures of intermittent signings Adrian "El Duquecito" Hernandez and Andy Morales, they got the whole "Evil Empire" thing started by blowing the Red Sox out of the water with a $32 million bid for Jose Contreras. Back then, major Cuban talents hitting the market was a sort of rare thing, but in recent years, player defections have proliferated to the point where the regime now allows some of its stars to play in pro leagues around the world in an effort to stem the tide. Oddly, even with more players now available, the Yankees have stayed mostly out of the picture of late, outside of minor signings of low-ceiling players like Ronnier Mustelier and Adonis Garcia and long-shot raw tools guys like Omar Luis.

The appeal of Cuban players to MLB teams is obvious. With professional free agent classes getting weaker, older and pricier, signing twenty-somethings to contracts that carry them through their prime years - and only their prime years - is an appealing thought. Those contracts, which usually aren't subject to international spending pools, have the potential to look like absolute steals compared with what established players make. Jose Abreu is currently third in the majors in OPS for just $11 million per year. Yasiel Puig has a 156 wRC+ for $6 million annually and Aroldis Chapman is one of the game's best relievers for a mere $5.5 million. Even for more modest successes, the deals look good. Yoenis Cespedes' $9 million AAV isn't bad for a 2.0-3.0 fWAR, mid-twenties home run guy and Leonys Martin is a solid speed and defense outfielder for a paltry $3 million per. Players like Jorge Soler, Alex Guerrero, Erisbel Arruebarrena and Aledmys Diaz, who've performed well in the minors thus far, may represent the next wave of Cuban exiles to make an impact at the big league level.

So why aren't the Yankees in on this? It may be that they don't feel confident enough to commit big money based on traditional stopwatch and radar gun type scouting done mostly on workouts, choppy internet video and a few international games. Before the Yankees went all in on Masahiro Tanaka, they spent a year watching, analyzing, breaking down every single one of his starts. They can't do that in Cuba, as MLB rules prohibit team reps from traveling there. Even if you buy into theories of clandestine scouting trips, the data sources available on Cuban prospects are sketchy at best.Without top flight opponents to judge players against, Serie Nacional stats are hardly meaningful.

There's been speculation that the Yankees' luxury tax situation might be to blame for their shyness. Theoretically, Castillo's deal with Boston could have cost New York as much as $108 million if they stay above the tax threshold and at the maximum tax rate for the next seven years, but that's true of anyone they plan on signing, Cuban or not. Roster flexibility is also an issue. There wasn't a clear landing spot for Abreu last year with Mark Teixeira holding down first base and several other players likely to need DH at bats over the coming seasons. Likewise, Castillo's skills are somewhat similar to Gardner's and Jacoby Ellsbury's and the Yankees might still believe they can use Carlos Beltran in right next year. There's something to be said, though, for a "find talent now, figure out how to use it later" approach. The Red Sox had no problem adding Castillo to an already-crowded outfield that includes Cespedes, Shane Victorino and Allen Craig, along with Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley, Jr.

As an armchair judge of talent, it's totally unfair to sit back and tell a Major League team who it should and shouldn't sign based on a few grainy YouTube clips and WBC highlights. From a fan's perspective it's a no-lose situation - these players have a mysterious allure because they carry no baggage. They haven't been broken down and picked apart the way most prospects have by the time they reach Double-A. It's not that the Yankees are wrong for passing on any Cuban standout in particular, it's that they somehow haven't found any of them to their liking. Sure, not everyone works out. For every Puig and every Abreu, there's an Adeiny Hechavarria or a Yunesky Maya - a guy who gets some publicity - and a few million dollars - then slowly fades into the baseball ether. But there are risks with every signing, as the Yankees know well. For a team that has trouble developing players from within - a team that needs to get younger - picking up prime and before-prime players for a usually reasonable cost seems like a worthwhile pursuit.

The Yankees won't need to wait long to consider a big-name Cuban defector again. Yasmani Tomas is a 23-year-old, 230-lb corner outfielder who boasts 70 raw power on the 20-80 scale according to Ben Badler. He defected in June in hopes of signing with an MLB team and if things go smoothly, he should be cleared to do so sometime this off-season. It's early in the process but he may very well top Castillo's contract only a few months after. Recent history tells us that someone will most definitely go big. Will it finally be the Yankees?

Poll
Should the Yankees have topped Boston's $72.5 million offer to Rusney Castillo?

  0 votes |Results

Yankees 7, White Sox 4 (10 innings): Another walk-off, another sweep

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Brian McCann homers off Jake Petricka in 10th inning to steal a game Chris Sale should've had in the bag

Bullet point recap:

*The Yankees swept the White Sox with their second walk-off of the series. Brian McCann ended it with a three-run homer off Jake Petricka in the 10th inning, sneaking a full-count fastball just inside the right-field foul pole.

*But this one is more on Chris Sale, who saw a 3-0 lead slip away in a single inning, similar to the Mike Trout grand slam game in Anaheim. He gave up four runs in the bottom of the sixth, turning an easy afternoon into another gut-wrencher.

*Dayan Viciedo unwittingly lit the fuse by dropping Martin Prado's flyball a step onto the warning track in left center. turning the second out into a double. Prado came home on Mark Teixeria's double to the left-field corner. Viciedo failed to corral that one, too, but it didn't result in an extra bases.

Sale's control then started slipping by walking Carlos Beltran. After striking out Chase Headley for what should've been the third out, Sale walked Francisco Cervelli, plunked Zelous Wheeler with the bases loaded to make it 3-2, and allowed a two-run single to Ichiro Suzuki, giving the Yankees the lead.

*Despite the collapse, Sale came out of the start with a lower ERA (2.12 to 2.03), as all four runs were unearned. He didn't lose the game, either, because Avisail Garcia tied it with a solo shot into the short porch in right off Yankee closer David Robertson. Garcia had struck out in his first three plate appearances.

*The Sox scored all their runs on homers. Alexei Ramirez hit the second pitch of the game out to left, and Conor Gillaspie added a two-run shot to right in the sixth.

*The Yankees honored Paul Konerko before the game, as Derek Jeter presented him with a signed base.

Record: 59-71 | Box score | Play-by-play | Highlights

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 8/25/14

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Newsday | David Lennon: Joe Torre believes managing is much more difficult now than it was back when he was with the Yankees.

CBS Sports | Matt Snyder: The Yankees presented the retiring Paul Konerko with a parting gift of his own.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch:Masahiro Tanaka will throw another sim game on Thursday as Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner are banged up.

Deadspin | Sean Newell: Someone is selling a fake Babe Ruth autographed baseball on the Internet.

Newsday | Jordan Lauterbach: Everything has gone right for Martin Prado since coming to the Yankees.

Times-Tribune | Shane Hennigan: Yankees outfield prospect Taylor Dugas is making the most of his time in Triple-A Scranton.

Newsday | David Lennon: Willie Randolph is one player who definitely deserves his own plaque in Monument Park.

Baby Bomber Recap 8/24/14: Ramon Flores homers twice in RailRiders' loss

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Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from August 24th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 4-5 vs. Rochester Red Wings

CF Jose Pirela 2-5
RF Ramon Flores 3-5, double, 2 HR, 3 RBI - 6th and 7th homers of the season
2B Rob Refsnyder 2-4, double, BB, K, SB
1B Kyle Roller 2-3, double, RBI, BB, K
3B Corban Joseph 1-3

Zach Nuding 5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K - 51 of 85 pitches for strikes
Chase Whitley 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Nick Rumbelow 0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB
Edgmer Escalona 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, K

Double-A Trenton Thunder: W 7-3 vs. Harrisburg Senators

CF Jake Cave 2-4, double, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K - batting .270 w/ Trenton
1B Greg Bird 0-3, RBI, 2 BB
3B Rob Segedin 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB - 8th homer of the season
DH Dante Bichette Jr. 1-4, K
RF Mason Williams 1-4, E9 - fielding error, third of the season
SS Dan Fiorito 1-4, double, 2 RBI

Luis Severino 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Phil Wetherell 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, K
Cesar Cabral 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
James Pazos 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa Yankees:W 5-1 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays

CF Mark Payton 0-2, RBI, K, HBP
3B Eric Jagielo 0-3, BB, K
RF Aaron Judge 2-4, 2 RBI - batting .282 w/ Tampa
1B Mike Ford 2-4, RBI
2B Jose Rosario 1-4, 2 K
LF Danny Oh 2-4, K, SB

Brady Lail 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K - 2 GO/7 AO
Philip Walby 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB
Kyle Haynes 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Caleb Cotham 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs: L 4-5 vs. Rome Braves

SS Abiatal Avelino 1-5, BB, 2 K, SB
2B Tyler Wade 1-5, triple, BB, K, SB
RF Yeicok Calderon 2-6, double, RBI
CF Claudio Custodio 2-5

Rookie Davis 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, pickoff, hit batsman
Giovanny Gallegos 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, K, 2 pickoffs, hit batsman
Evan Rutckyj 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 WP

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:W 3-1 vs. Vermont Lake Monsters

SS Jose Javier 1-3, K
1B Connor Spencer 1-4, double, K
2B Ty McFarland 0-3, BB, K
DH Isaias Tejeda 1-4, double, RBILF Chris Breen 2-4, double, RBI, K
C Luis Torrens 1-4, double, RBI
CF Devyn Bolasky 1-4, OF assist, E8 - fielding error, 2nd of the season

David Palladino 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, WP
Joe Harvey 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Andury Acevedo 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R/0 ER


Yankees weekly wrap-up: Prado, McCarthy power Yanks to four straight wins

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While the Yankees didn't completely take advantage of their lackluster competition this week, they at least managed to reel off four straight due in part to Brandon McCarthy's arm and Martin Prado's resurgent bat.

Record: 4-2 (1-2 against the Astros, 3-0 against the White Sox)

The Yankees had a major chance this week to reel off some wins and close the gap in the Wild Card race, and while they squandered a bit of an opportunity against the Astros, they did manage to sweep the White Sox in a series New York had to have.  The Yankees now sit six back of Baltimore in the division and three and a half games back of the second Wild Card spot.  This was one of the more exciting weeks (two walk-off wins!) of Yankee baseball this season, and New York did a hell of a job to take their last four games, clawing their way just a hair closer to the teams in position for the playoffs.

Quick hits:

Brett Gardner has fallen back to Earth: Since Brett Gardner's monster week to begin the month of August - during which he hit four homers in six games - the Yankee outfielder has fallen back to Earth in a big way.  Since August 4th, Gardner is hitting just .182/.239/.242 with a 32 wRC+.  He only managed two hits in 16 at bats this week, but hopefully he can regroup and get back to his old ways for the last month of the year - we all know the Yankees desperately need all the offense they can get.

Robertson's rough week:David Robertson had a bit of a rough time of it this week, as he blew a save on Sunday and, after giving up a three-run blast to Chris Carter of the Astros, took the loss on Tuesday.  Still, D-Rob did get the win on Friday night and has obviously been quite good this year (2.36 FIP) - he'd also been terrific in August (he'd been six-for-six in save opportunities until the Astros series this month) until this week.  This will undoubtedly just be a blip on the radar of another terrific season for the Yankee reliever (but it'd be nice to have that Carter home run back).

Position Player of the week:  Martin Prado

Prado had been just about a black hole in the Yankee lineup since coming over from Arizona, but this week saw him break out of his slump in a big way.  Prado hit an even .400 this week (10-for-25), clubbing two doubles and one home run.  He even mustered up a walk-off single against Chicago on Friday night, helping the Yankees get off to a much-needed good start in their series against the White Sox.  Without Prado's performance this week, the Yankees might've dropped too many games for even the most optimistic of Yankee fans to feel hopeful about September.

Pitcher of the week: Brandon McCarthy

Brandon McCarthy pitched a gem this week - the Yankee newcomer threw a complete game shutout against Houston on Thursday, giving up just four hits while striking out eight and walking none.  McCarthy's performance buoyed a desperate Yankee team, helping New York snap a two-game losing streak and mercifully avoid a sweep at the hands of the Astros.  McCarthy's been a revelation since arriving from Arizona, pitching to the tune of a 1.90 ERA and a 2.33 FIP and doing a great job of shoring up the depleted Yankee rotation.  If he keeps performing at anywhere close to this level, the front office should seriously consider re-signing McCarthy in the offseason.

Poll
Who is your Yankee of the week?

  154 votes |Results

PSA Comments of the Day 8/25/14: Big Mike vs Big Game James

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The Yankees make a quick stop in Kansas City to face the Royals in a make-up game. During this game, the Royals will honor Derek Jeter and Michael Pineda will face James Shields.

Comment of the Game

Yesterday's COTG goes to waw with a classic Pasta Diving Jeter pic. Just think, in a little over a month we may never use this again.

Best GIF of the Recap

Without question, MinigunMadness wins the BGOTR award with his excellent "DEAL WITH IT" rendition of Gardner giving McCann a Gatorade shower.

Honorable Mod Mention

Michael Brown talks about the potential return of Masahiro Tanaka. It is filled with both hope and the worst case scenario. Huzzah.

Best Comments of the Day

Nothing really worthy of a COTD award yesterday. Today shall hopefully yield greater results

Fun Questions

  • What do you think the Royals will give Jeter tonight?
  • The end of summer is near. Yay or Nay?
Song of the Day

Within and Without You by The Beatles

We were talking about the space between ourselves. I think. As always, link us your Song of the Day!

After a three game sweep of the Chicago White Sox, the Yankees are in Kansas City to face the Royals for a make-up game. Michael Pineda will take the mound against James Shield. The Royals have been one of the hottest teams of late. They currently lead the AL Central, which is something one brave, heroic, handsome and modest PSA writer predicted earlier in the year. Either way, if you are unable to get the YES broadcast then I apologize. Rex Hudler's broadcasting skills are a crime against humanity.

Let's Go Yankees!

Who will play right field for the Yankees in 2015?

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The Yankees will again need an everyday right fielder in 2015. What will their options be heading into the offseason?

A good fan should never give up on their favorite team because, as Andy Dufresne taught us in The Shawshank Redemptionhope is a good thing. However, this lackluster version of the Yankees inspires no such hope, so it might be worth thinking about next year. The team will again have to address their right field situation in 2015. They thought they had shored it up over the winter by signing Carlos Beltran to a three-year contract, yet in a turn of events that has surprised nobody, Beltran's aging body proved incapable of handling an everyday role in the field.

After watching the 40-year-old Ichiro Suzuki struggle to fill the position, they again thought they had taken care of it as part of their trade deadline strategy to acquire a shortstop to play second base and an infielder to play right field. Since then, Martin Prado has settled in at second base, which brings them back to square one in right field. So what are their options heading into 2015?

Bring back Ichiro

If the Yankees were willing to sign a 39-year-old Ichiro to an eight-figure, two-year contract, they'll certainly be willing sign the 41-year-old Ichiro to a one-year deal. According to wRC+, Ichiro has been the most offensively inept right fielder in Major League Baseball over the past two seasons. It seems that the only people who've failed to recognize this are the Yankees' decision makers. Their unhealthy love of Ichiro is mind-boggling to say the least, but the heart wants what it wants, logic be damned. It would almost make sense if they bring him back next year. Maybe.

Promote from within

There are a handful of players in the Yankees organization that have hit well, played right field, and spent time in Triple-A this season. Only two of these players, Zoilo Almonte and Adonis Garcia, are true outfielders by trade. Almonte has not impressed during his brief stints in the Bronx over the past two seasons, but the 29-year-old Garcia has been mashing in Scranton all year. It will be interesting to see if he gets called up this September. Rookie Zelous Wheeler was called up last month to fill in at third base but the Yankees are currently auditioning him in right field. The two candidates with the biggest upside potential are also infielders who have spent time in right field. Jose Pirela has spent the entire year at Triple-A while Rob Refsnyder has split his year between Double-A and Triple-A, impressing at each level. Unfortunately, Brian Cashman has already confirmed that we won't be seeing him in the big leagues this year.

Sign a free agent

The list of 2015 free agent outfielders is chock full of guys in their mid-to-late thirties whose best days are well behind them. That's exactly the type of free agent the Yankees have targeted over the past couple of years, but there are some decent options. Melky Cabrera is still relatively young and would be welcomed back to the Bronx with open arms. Michael Cuddyer can still hit, though moving him away from Colorado would certainly take some pop out of his bat. The current MLB home run leader, Nelson Cruz, will also be available, but he's really a one-trick pony that will come with a high price tag. Despite these better options, the Yankees' recent track record tells us that they're already getting set to wine and dine Torii Hunter as soon as the World Series is over.

The Yankees' best route would probably be to let the kids duke it out in spring training. It would be nice to see a home grown player like Refsnyder or Pirela get rewarded with an everyday gig come next April, but that might not happen. What do you think the Yankees should do in right field next year?

Poll
What should the Yankees do about right field next year?

  442 votes |Results

Yankees Series Preview: Jeter's last visit

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DEREK JETER DEREK JETER DEREK JETER DEREK JETER DEREK JETER DEREK JETER DEREK JETER DEREK JETER DEREK JETER DEREK JETER

The Yankees head to the K tonight for a rare one-game series, thanks to a June 9 rain-out that broke the hearts of Nebraska Yankees fans who had made the three-hour trip to see their favorite player play at Kauffman Stadium for the last time - Derek Jeter. Jeter will instead make his last Kansas City appearance tonight, as the Royals shower him with gifts (burnt ends? Kyle Snyder's ulnar collateral ligament? The phone number of a waitress at the Hooters in Independence?)

On July 25, the Yankees were in the lead for the second Wild Card spot, leading the Blue Jays, Mariners, and Royals. Since then, the Royals and Mariners have gotten red-hot, while the Yankees have played .500 ball. Overall, the Yankees are 67-61, 3.5 games back of the Mariners for the second Wild Card spot.

The Yankees have over-achieved all season, as their pythagorean win-loss record is 60-68. They are 21-16 in one-run games this year. It should be no surprise that the Yankees field the oldest lineup in baseball, with the average Yankee hitter being close to 33 years old. Also unsurprisingly, the Yankees lineup has been afflicted with injuries and ineffectiveness. The team is second-to-last in runs scored, twelfth in on-base percentage, and tenth in slugging. Surprsingly, the team is second in steals, although 60% of their swipes have come from Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner.

Yankees_lineup_medium

Gardner is nursing an ankle injury and is said to be doubtful for tonight. Martin Prado has hit .267/.295/.467 with 3 HR in 21 games since being acquired from Arizona. Chase Headley got off to a good start with the Yankees after being traded from the Padres, but is hitting just .217/.341/.304 in his last 20 games.

Michael Pineda, acquired from Seattle for Jesus Montero in 2012, is finally healthy after missing the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery. Pineda has still missed most of this season after injuring his back in late April, but has returned in August to give up just six hits and three runs over 11 innings in two starts. Pineda has been effective overall, although his success may not be completely on the level.

Yankees_matchup_medium

Yankees relievers strike out over ten hitters per nine innings, the best mark in the American League. As a group, they have a 3.89 ERA however, good for just tenth in the league. Set-up man Dellin Betances has been one of the best relievers in baseball this year with a 1.42 ERA and an absurd 113 strikeouts in 76 innings. Closer David Robertson has also struck out over 13 hitters per nine innings, and has a 3.06 ERA with 34 saves in 37 opportunities. Former Indians relievers David Huff and Rich Hill are options for manager Joe Girardi against left-handed hitters.

Poll
How will the Royals fare against the Yankees?

  175 votes |Results

Brian McCann's pinch-hit walk-off homer and other "Kirk Gibson homers" in Yankees history

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The Yankees catcher's pinch-hit walk-off blast on Sunday afternoon was just the eighth such homer in Yankees history. What were the others?

On Sunday afternoon, the Yankees went for the sweep against the Chicago White Sox. The game ran the gamut of emotions as they first fell behind ace Chris Sale 3-0, then came roaring back with four unanswered runs only to watch as Avisail Garcia stunned shutdown closer David Robertson with a game-tying homer in the ninth inning. The Yankees only had the weaker part of their bullpen to work with in extra innings, and the urgency to win as soon as possible was very high. It felt like a miracle that David Huff struck out Jose Abreu with runners on to escape the top of the tenth scoreless.

In the bottom of the frame, both Martin Prado and Mark Teixeira quickly went down on strikeouts against Jake Petricka. It appeared that the game would be headed to more innings and more uncertainty out of the 'pen. However, Carlos Beltran gave the Yankees hope with a double to left-center field, and the White Sox intentionally walked Chase Headley to get to backup catcher Francisco Cervelli. At this point, Joe Girardi decided to go for the victory by sending Brian McCann up to the plate instead. McCann hasn't had a great year, but he always has power potential, and Girardi had saved this bullet off the bench for the right moment. McCann worked Petricka to a full count, then did this:

McCann's rope down the left field line into the short porch bleachers gave the Yankees a much-needed victory and a sweep. It was a homer that brought memories of Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series to mind. Obviously, it wasn't exactly the same since McCann wasn't battling injuries and it was just a August game against a non-contender, but Gibson was also a pinch-hitter sent up to try to win it with two outs. These "Kirk Gibson homers" are rare, as everything needs to line up perfectly for a player to even get into this scenario, and he has to win it with a homer. It's the classic situation of "I might have just one crack to win it, so I'm going to send a guy with some pop up to the plate to see what he can do." (This is why "Kirk Gibson homer" flows off the tongue better.)

The website Yankee Numbers has a helpful list of every walk-off homer in Yankees history, complete with quick descriptions about each situation. There have been 217 walk-off homers in the Yankees' 111-year history, but McCann's winner was only the eighth to come in a pinch-hit scenario. He now joins the following seven players in franchise history to hit a Kirk Gibson homer:

Bob Cerv

August 2, 1960 vs. Detroit Tigers

This was a hell of a day for the eventual American League champions. It was the second game of a doubleheader at the original Yankee Stadium, and Casey Stengel's Yankees had already prevailed in a long 14-inning affair in the afternoon portion. A game-tying single in the ninth by future Hall of Famer Al Kaline against flamethrower Ryne Duren had sent the game to extras, and it took five more frames before the Yankees rallied to win on a walk-off single by third-string catcher Johnny Blanchard. In the nightcap, it was Detroit's turn to carry a slim lead into the ninth only to watch the Yankees tie it. Whitey Ford had pitched eight inning of one-run ball, but reliever Duke Maas had surrendered a solo homer to slugger Norm Cash in the ninth that gave Jim Bunning some insurance.

The future Kentucky senator and Hall of Famer was working on a two-hit shutout, but he walked light-hitting Bobby Richardson to begin the ninth and manager Jimmy Dykes decided that it was time to turn to the bullpen and Bill Fischer with the heart of the lineup coming up. Fischer got Mickey Mantle to ground into a fielder's choice. However, he had no such luck again eventual AL MVP Roger Maris, who belted a two-run homer to tie the game at two apiece. An inning later, the score was still 2-2, and rookie Bob Bruce entered the game for the Tigers. The first batter he faced was former All-Star Bob Cerv, pinch-hitting for the pitcher Maas. The left fielder had belted 68 homers over the previous three seasons and the Yankees had acquired him in May in a deal with the Kansas City Athletics, a team they dealt with so often that they were referred to as a Yankees farm team (Kansas City previously had a farm team for the Yankees as well). Stengel's decision was wise, as Cerv crushed a pinch-hit homer to win it for the Bronx Bombers, as they swept the doubleheader in a 3-2 victory.

Mickey Mantle

August 26, 1966 vs. Detroit Tigers

Six years and a few weeks later, the Yankees found themselves in a similar situation, though they were a very different team now. They were in the middle of a nightmare season, their first last-place finish in more than half a century, and they had nothing to play for. On this day though, they played a narrow affair against the much more competitive Tigers. Detroit unsurprisingly led the game 5-3 entering the ninth, as they took a two-run lead in the eighth on a two-run homer by Earl Wilson.

Detroit manager Frank Skaff asked reliever Hank Aguirre to finish it off after an effortless eighth, but he immediately ran into trouble by allowing a ground-rule double to Elston Howard. Clete Boyer drove him home with an RBI single, and Ralph Houk decided to go for the jugular by sending up a future Hall of Famer named Mickey Mantle. Limited to just 108 games in '66 due to injuries, Mantle hadn't played in nine days. This was much closer to an actual Kirk Gibson situation, as the hobbled Mantle faced the task of hitting a come-from-behind homer to win it. "The Mick" did just that, slugging a two-run homer to stun the Tigers, the 496th bomb of his career. It was one of the last career highlights for the most popular player of his generation.

Curt Blefary

September 15, 1970 vs. Boston Red Sox

In 1970, the Yankees were a better team than they were in '66, but still nowhere close to the Baltimore Orioles, who romped to the AL East title that year with a remarkable 108 victories. Even a 93-win team like the Yankees just couldn't compare to the soon-to-be World Series champions. Nonetheless, the Yankees played out the string in September, and on the 15th, they had a doubleheader against their rival, the Red Sox. New York won the opener 8-6, but the second game was a scoreless affair until late in the game. Both Mike Nagy and Steve Kline would go the distance for their respective clubs this evening. At first, it appeared that Boston's two-run rally against Kline in the eighth led by Mike Andrews and Joe Lahoud's two-out hits would be the decisive blows.

An inning later though, the Yankees turned the tables on Nagy, as Jim Lyttle led off with a single to right and Andrews threw away Frank Baker's grounder to second base to put the tying run in scoring position with nobody out. Houk pinch-hit Pete Ward for Jerry Kenney, but the nine-year veteran struck out. Undeterred, Houk went for it again, this time with former Rookie of the Year winner Curt Blefary.

The lefthanded hitter had gotten off to a promising start to his big league career with 94 homers over his first five seasons, but after being acquired in the off-season for fan favorite Joe Pepitone, he had managed just eight homers thus far. Houk felt that he represented the best option off the bench to pinch-hit for Kline though, and his faith was rewarded. Just as Houk hoped, Blefary turned on Nagy's pitch and belted a three-run homer to win the game for the Yankees. Blefary was traded to the A's just 21 games into the '71 season, so his Yankees career was brief, but he at least had this one great highlight.

Oscar Gamble

September 27, 1979 vs. Cleveland Indians

There's no getting around it--1979 was just a lost season for the Yankees. It was a disappointing follow-up to back-to-back World Series titles and three straight American League pennants. Nothing made it worse than the gut-wrenching loss of captain Thurman Munson in a plane crash on August 2nd. The Orioles were running away with the division title anyway and the team was emotionally devastated. The most famous game they played following the loss of their captain was the Bobby Murcer game after his funeral, but there was another inspiring game from later that year that is not as well-remembered.

On September 27th, the Yankees turned to a lefty acquired from the Rangers in the Sparky Lyle trade to make his third career start: Dave Righetti. "Rags" pitched well against the Indians, throwing 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball while striking out four batters and allowing only four hits. Chris Chambliss had homered against Indians starter Rick Waits to tie the score, and it was up to the Yankees' bullpen to preserve the tie.

In the ninth inning however, rookie sensation setup man Ron Davis (father of Ike Davis) allowed a leadoff single to third baseman Ted Cox. It was the first hit Davis had allowed in 2 2/3 innings, but Billy Martin decided that Davis had pitched enough. He turned to Hall of Fame closer Goose Gossage to keep the Indians at bay. The first batter Gossage faced was former teammate Cliff Johnson, who he had notoriously brawled with in the Yankees locker room earlier that year. Now, Johnson enacted his revenge on Goose by hitting a long double to center field that scored Cox and gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead. Although Gossage kept the Indians off the board for the rest of the inning, the Yankees had to rally to win it.

They got off to a good start in the bottom of the ninth as George Scott knocked Waits out of the game with a leadoff single. Cleveland manager Dave Garcia asked Sid Monge to close out the victory, but after inducing a fly ball from Chabliss, he pitched around dangerous pinch-hitter Reggie Jackson and walked him. Then, Monge inexplicably walked the underwhelming Juan Beniquez to load the bases. Veteran Roy White pinch-hit for Fred Stanley in the final at-bat of his suberb 15-year career in pinstripes. As he so often did, White got the job done with a fly ball to left that was deep enough to score pinch-runner Bobby Brown to tie the game.

Oscar Gamble was next up for the Yankees, pinch-hitting for catcher Bruce Robinson. A member of the Yankees' AL champion team in '76, Gamble had spent the next couple seasons away from the Bronx before returning in a trade deadline deal with the Rangers. He had played extremely well in his return, batting .389/.452/.735 over 36 games, and the man more famous for his afro delivered. The lefty smoked Monge's pitch over the wall for a walk-off three-run homer, and Yankees fans had at least one more small reason to smile in '79.

Bobby Murcer

September 26, 1981 vs. Baltimore Orioles

Almost two years to the day of Gamble's pinch-hit walk-off blast, another popular Yankee had a Kirk Gibson homer of his own. The '81 campaign was utterly bizarre due to the midyear player's strike. By virtue of leading the AL East at the time of the strike, the Yankees had already earned a playoff berth, though George Steinbrenner felt the manager who put them in that situation, Gene Michael, wasn't inspiring his players enough once baseball resumed int he second half. He fired Michael and replaced him with Bob Lemon, but the Yankees were sluggish in the second half of the season anyway. If they had won the second half division title as well, they could have skipped straight into the ALCS, but it was evident as September wound down that the Yankees would have to play an extra playoff series just to clinch the AL East division title.

Thus, the Yankees were again just playing out the string in a late September game that turned tense. This game did mean a lot to Earl Weaver's Orioles, who were trying desperately to fight off a few other teams for the right to play the Yankees for the AL East in the Division Series. Mike Flanagan started for Baltimore, and the Yankees disrespected Flanny by taking a 3-2 lead into the seventh. Gary Roenicke took Rudy May deep in the seventh to tie it though, and DH Jose Morales did the same against Davis in the eighth to give the O's a 4-3 lead. With Tippy Martinez in the game for Baltimore, it looked like Weaver's crew would pull out a crucial win.

A leadoff walk to Rick Cerone proved to be damaging. Brown bunted the tying run into scoring position, and new pitcher Steve Stone's defense betrayed him on a Willie Randolph grounder. Third baseman Doug DeCinces bobbled it, and Weaver was back out to the mound for another pitching change. Hoping for a double play, Weaver turned to righty Tim Stoddard. Lemon countered by asking the veteran Murcer to come off the bench and provide a spark. Murcer had found pinch-hit heroics earlier that season with a pinch-hit grand slam in April, and he came up big again by taking Stoddard deep for a three-run homer, his 160th as a Yankee. The fans went into a frenzy, and they would witness more excitement that year as the Yankees added another AL pennant to their collection.

Mike Easler

September 28, 1987 vs. Boston Red Sox

The team's season success has so much to do with how well a game is remember. Take this one for instance. In it, the Yankees completed an incredible comeback in a late-September game against the Red Sox, who had just won the AL pennant in '86. If this had occurred in a season in which the Yankees had made the playoffs, then it would probably be recalled as one of the many seminal games in the long history of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry. Unfortunately, the Yankees were good, but not good enough in '87 to catch the Tigers or Blue Jays for the AL East crown. Still, this was a hell of a game.

August starting pitching acquisition Bill Gullickson took the ball for the Yankees, and he was absolutely rocked. Boston batted around in the first and took an immediate 5-0 lead on the strength of a two-run double by Mike Greenwell and a surprising three-run triple by shortstop Jody Reed. They tacked another run on in the second on a Dwight Evans sacrifice fly, and Sam Horn slugged a solo shot in the fourth to run the score up to 7-0. The Yankees were getting humiliated at home, and manager Lou Piniella could no longer deal with Gullickson, who departed having surrendered seven runs in just four innings.

The Yankees began to chip away in the sixth. Rob Woodward had allowed only one hit in five innings, but Rickey Henderson smacked a solo homer to lead off the frame. An inning later, Dan Pasqua singled and with one out, Bobby Meacham lined a double down the left field line. Jeff Sellers relieved Woodward, but he made matters worse by walking Rickey to load the bases. Randolph brought Pasqua home with a sacrifice fly, and Don Mattingly smoked a single so hard that not even Rickey could score from second. Sellers then walked Dave Winfield to load the bases, but struck out Mike Pagliarulo to escape the jam.

In the ninth, Sellers was still on for the Red Sox, who had a comfortable 7-3 lead. Meacham led it off with his second double of the game, and Sellers walked Henderson again. Wes Gardner entered to try to clean things up, but he walked Randolph to load the bases. Suddenly, the tying run was at the plate in the defending MVP Mattingly. "Donnie Baseball" lifted a sacrifice fly to bring a run home, and Winfield followed with a liner to right field that went for a double. Rickey scored and it was now 7-5. Desperate for someone to get an out, John McNamara now asked Joe Sambito to retire pinch-hitter Jerry Royster, but he came through with a two-run single to left. Improbably, the game was tied at seven.

Next up was another pinch-hitter, 36-year-old former All-Star left fielder Mike Easler. He did not know it at the time, but he only had three plate appearances left in his fine 14-year career. He faced Calvin Schiraldi, the pitching goat of the '86 World Series, and McNamara's fourth pitcher of the inning. The pitch was flate, and Easler slugged it over the fence for the 118th and final homer of his MLB career. The Yankees, who trailed 7-0 in this game, had scored six runs in the ninth to stun the Red Sox and win. Games like those normally become classics in fans' memories. Oh well.

Jason Giambi

June 5, 2008 vs. Toronto Blue Jays

I remember this game well. It was a rare day game in the middle of the school year, and I was finishing up my last year of high school. The Yankees had not played well to date, as their final season at Yankee Stadium was trending toward disappointment. Indeed, they were a game under .500 when this game began. Chien-Ming Wang fell apart in the fifth inning while I was still at school, and with the score Blue Jays 7, Yankees 2, it almost seemed like it was not worth tracking on my phone.

The Yankees would not go away in this game. They loaded the bases with no one out in the fifth and brought two runs home on a pair of outs, and an inning later, Wilson Betemit of all players greeted new Toronto reliever Jesse Carlson with a two-run homer to make it 7-6. The score stayed that way until the ninth inning, when Kyle Farnsworth entered the game. I was home by this point, and I unfortunately got to witness Kyle Farnsworth do Kyle Farnsworth things on my TV. Line drive single for Alex Rios. Line drive single for Scott Rolen. Booming ground-rule double by Matt Stairs. The Blue Jays had an insurance run now, though they missed out aon a chance for more thanks to some poor situational hitting by Lyle Overbay and Rod Barajas.

Two-time All-Star closer B.J. Ryan came in to pitch the ninth for the Blue Jays. In the middle of perhaps the most ludicrous reliever contracts in baseball history, a five-year, $47 million deal signed prior to the 2006 campaign, Ryan underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2007, but he was still an intimidating threat on the mound. He carried a 1.53 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings into the day's game. The Yankees had two out and none on against an elite reliever. Then, Ryan fell apart.

Alex Rodriguez kept the game alive with a weakly-hit infield single to the left side. However, the next batters was a lefty: Hideki Matsui. In his career, Ryan tortured lefties to a .179/.285/.273 triple slash. Nonetheless, "Godzilla" kept the game alive by lining a single to center to bring A-Rod home, who had advanced to second on defensive indifference. Now, first-year Yankees manager Joe Girardi rolled the dice on another lefty: slugger Jason Giambi. Ryan had not given up a homer to a lefty in two and a half years. The mustachioed masher did not care:

Please excuse MLB.com's shoddy video resolution from 2008

There weren't too many highlights from 2008, but man, the Giambino really brought it with this pinch-hit walk-off homer.

Welcome to the club, Brian.

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