Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from August 28th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: L 3-11 vs. Buffalo Bisons

SS Jose Pirela 2-5, K
RF Chris Young 1-4, RBI, 2 K
2B Rob Refsnyder 0-4, 2 K
1B Kyle Roller 1-2, 2 BB, K, E3(4th) - batting .281 w/ SWB
C John Ryan Murphy 2-4, RBI, K
3B Adonis Garcia 1-4
LF Taylor Dugas 2-4, K

Chris Leroux 2 IP, 9 H, 11 R/9 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, E1
Pat Venditte 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Diego Moreno 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Chase Whitley 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
Preston Claiborne 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 3-11 vs. Akron RubberDucks

DH Jake Cave 1-4, HR, RBI, BB - 4th HR w/ Trenton
C Gary Sanchez 1-3, 2 BB, K, pickoff
1B Greg Bird 0-4, BB, K
CF Mason Williams 1-4, double, K
SS Ali Castillo 3-4, double

Joel De La Cruz 3.1 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, hit batsman
Cesar Cabral 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K, 2 WP
James Pazos 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 2 WP - 1.60 ERA w/ Trenton
Nick Goody 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa Yankees: W 8-2 vs. Clearwater Threshers

CF Mark Payton 2-4, double, BB, K - batting .304 w/ Tampa
SS Cito Culver 0-2, 3 BB
3B Eric Jagielo 2-5, 2 RBI, 2 K
RF Aaron Judge 1-5, 3 K
DH Mike Ford 2-4, HR, RBI, BB, K - 2nd homer w/ Tampa
1B Reymond Nunez 2-4, double, HR, 4 RBI - 5th homer this season

Taylor Garrison 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, WP
Conner Kendrick 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs: W 10-0 vs. Greenville Drive

SS Tyler Wade 1-4, RBI, BB, K
RF Michael O'Neill 2-5, K
3B Miguel Andujar 3-5, double, 2 RBI
DH Yeicok Calderon 4-5, RBI
2B Gosuke Katoh 0-3, RBI, BB, K, E4 - throwing error, 14th of the season
C Jackson Valera 3-4, double, 4 RBI

Luis Niebla 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Conor Mullee 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees: W 9-1 vs. Vermont Lake Monsters

1B Connor Spencer 3-5, double, K - batting .367 this season
DH Chris Breen 2-3
RF Austin Aune 1-2, HR, 4 RBI, HBP - 4th homer of the season
C Collin Slaybaugh 2-4, RBI
LF Nathan Mikolas 2-4, double, K
SS Vince Conde 2-4, double, 3 RBI, K

Jonathan Holder 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Tim Giel 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Sam Agnew-Wieland 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

GCL Yankees 1:W 4-2 vs. GCL Blue Jays

LF Cesar Diaz 3-4, 3 RBI, K, CS
RF Miguel Mojica 1-4, 3 K
3B Kevin Cornelius 1-3, BB, K
SS Allison Reyes 2-3, RBI

Orby Tavares 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R/1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 hit batsmen
Deshorn Lake 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Dayton Dawe 2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

GCL Yankees 2:L 3-4 (12 innings) vs. GCL Astros

2B Jake Anderson 1-6, HR, 2 RBI - 1st homer of the season
DH Adam Kirsch 0-2, 3 BB
LF Griffin Gordon 3-5, double, RBI, SB
CF Jordan Barnes 0-1, 4 BB, K

Eduardo Rivera 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, pickoff
David Rodriguez 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K
Abel Mora 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Graham Ramos 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2 BB

In holding David Robertson back for save chances that might never occur, Joe Girardi is making the same mistake as his predecessor...and just about every other manager in baseball.

The pressure was on for the Yankees Thursday afternoon in Detroit. In one of the most pivotal games of the season so far - because let's face it, they're all pivotal from here on out - they were tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the ninth with a team they trailed by just two games in the race for the American League's second wildcard. Stepping to the plate were the Tigers' 4-5-6 hitters led by Victor Martinez and his third-best-in-baseball .949 OPS. Taking the mound to get those three crucial outs for the Yankees was...Shawn Kelley, their third best reliever. While Martinez doubled and eventually scored the game-winning run on an Alex Avila single off the right field wall, David Robertson and I had something in common. We were both watching.

It's a rarely strayed from tradition for MLB managers to not use their closers, aka usually their best bullpen arms, in tie games on the road. The standard logic is simple - but not so simple that Michael Kay doesn't feel the need to rehash it every time a YES game is even in the ninth. Since you can't win away games via walk-off, there will at some point be a lead that needs protecting for a victory to be possible. The problem with that line of thinking, though, is that you can't get a save while the other team is dancing on the field. For some reason, managers insist on placing themselves at a distinct disadvantage for the sake of a save opportunity that may never happen.

The most notorious Yankee example of this sort of flawed logic came at the hands of recent Monument Park entrant Joe Torre in game four of the 2003 World Series. In search of a 3-1 series lead, the Yankees entered the bottom of the ninth in a 3-3 deadlock after Ruben Sierra's two-run triple evened things up off Marlins closer Ugueth Urbina. With Mariano Rivera ready and willing, Torre instead opted for Jose Contreras, who had a 6.52 ERA in fifteen relief outings between the regular season and the playoffs to that point. That move actually worked out - Contreras fanned four over two near-perfect frames, but the Yankees left runners in scoring position in the tenth and eleventh forcing Torre to make the same decision a second time. This time it was Jeff Weaver, who'd posted a 9.26 ERA and 1.97 WHIP in eight bullpen appearances in 2003, pitching on twenty-seven days' rest who got the call over Rivera. To this day I can't help but wonder what Mo must have been thinking as he watched Alex Gonzalez's twelfth-inning game-ender sail over the left field wall at Sun Life Stadium - or whatever it was called back then.

Beyond the need to wait for save chances, the "closers don't pitch well in tie games" narrative is another angle that drives the "save the closer" mentality. Managers do use their closers with the score even at home because there can never be a lead to hold after the ninth, but part of the reason they hold them back on the road may be the assumption that they'll do better in their more natural habitat. For the Yankees - yes, Robertson does seem to be a bit sharper this year when going for a save, as did Rivera before him. Opposing batters hit .248/.312/.343 off Mo in tie games versus .204/.249/.280 when the Yankees held the lead. In 2014, Robertson's opponents hit .226/.314/.355 when games are tied (in an extremely small sampling of 35 plate appearances) and .181/.253/.299 when he's guarding a lead. But the whole thing reeks of a post-hoc fallacy. There's no cogent reason why closers should be any less effective in tie games than with leads except maybe for some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, which might be defeated if they were used in ties more often. Regardless of game situation, if there's a choice between Robertson and Kelley, or Rivera and one of the Scott Proctors and Tanyon Sturtzes who'd sometimes pitch before him, I'll take the bullpen ace every time.

Using Robertson Thursday wouldn't have guaranteed a win just like using Rivera wouldn't have in '03. The Yankees would still have needed to score a run at some point, which hasn't always been the easiest task for them this season. If they're going to lose, though, they should do so with their top options playing, not sitting and waiting. By leaving a well-rested Robertson in the bullpen with the game on the line, Girardi didn't give his team its best chance to win.

The Yankees come to town this evening as the teams kick off a weekend series at a time when both squads are hanging on the edge of the wild card battle. New York is 6-4 in their last ten games and recently lost two of three in Detroit to the Tigers putting themselves at a record of 69-63, which is 3.0 games back of the second wild card berth.

Mark Buehrle gets another start tonight against fellow lefty Chris Capuano who continues to fill one of the multiple holes in the Yankee starting rotation. If you'll recall, Capuano made his first start for New York in Toronto on July 26th and has made five more starts since then going 36.1 IP thus far in pinstripes pitching to a 4.21 ERA. Capuano has cleaned up his walk-rate since joining the Yankees (4.4%), which is also what has happened with Esmil Rogers so....it's still okay to hate New York.

Since moving to a starting role with the Yankees, Capuano is throwing his fastball much less in favour of increased changeup usage against both lefties and righties. The changeup is how Capuano gets outs and hitters are often either whiffing on it (26.4%) or grounding out off the pitch (12.69%). It's shouldn't come as a surprise then that the southpaw keeps the changeup low and away from righties:

Hopeful Lineup

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Melky Cabrera LF
3. Jose Bautista RF
4. Edwin Encarnacion 1B
5. Kevin Pillar CF
6. Dioner Navarro C
7. Danny Valencia 3B
8. Steve Tolleson DH
9. Munenori Kawasaki 2B

Bullpen Usage

Everyone looks to be available for the Blue Jays, while standout Yankees reliever Dellin Betances has not pitched three days in a row all season, meaning he will not grace the mound in tonight's contest.

After only taking one out of three games in Detroit, the Yankees are looking to bounce back in Toronto. Taking this series would be a great opportunity to give the Yankees a little breathing room in the AL East. Chris Capuano hopes to make the opportunity into a reality tonight.

Comment of the Game

Not much more to be said on why GMan83201 won the COTG. As sad as it is, it was pretty accurate!

Best GIF of the Recap

The_Englishman wins the BGOTR award for this good description of how most of us felt after yesterday's loss.

Honorable Mod Mention

The mods were pretty honorless today. I mean, I got to go on the swings, but that's not honorable. Just fun.

Best Comments of the Day

This was originally going to be the Comment of the Game, but I felt that it deserved the honor of being the Comment of the Day. BlackandGoldTSgt's safe return home is joyous news for Pinstripe Alley members to hear. Welcome home, GIF Sgt.

Fun Questions

• Best Mascot in MLB?
• Worst Mascot in MLB?

The Yankees won five in a row at one point, but that fun was halted by a disappointing series loss in Detroit. We talk about Jeter batting second, Tanaka's comeback, possible September call-ups, and Girardi's evil clone.

I don’t think it’s too insane to think that Jeter had it worked into his re-written contract that he would not be removed from his 2 spot all year. I have to think this because I cannot see how the organization thinks batting him 2nd is a good idea. - Something an actual person said

Although the supposed "two-hole clause" is obviously not real, it is still annoying that Jeter's batting second anyway. We discuss this and more on the new Pinstripe Alley Podcast.

[0:20] Winning streaks are overrated, and Kyle Lobstein is a future Cy Young Award winner, obviously
[2:20] "I can't really tell why teams win." - J. Sterling
[3:02] Derek Jeter is still batting second, and we have #HotTakes
[11:47] Imagining a world where the Yankees batted Jeter down in the lineup to start the season
[13:43] Of course, not all the Yankees' offensive problems are centered around Jeter...
[14:30] How much of an impact does Kevin Long actually have on the hitters?
[18:04] The Yankees *should* play well against Toronto and Boston next, but do we trust them?
[20:57] Remembering the halcyon days of a less competitive AL East
[23:19] Need moar team chemistry
[24:57] Bring us back Masahiro Tanaka, baseball gods (also more thoughts on PRP therapy)
[30:36] Can Shane Greene be for real? Please?
[32:14] Is Pat Venditte a legitimate option for a September call-up?
[39:07] How about Jacob Lindgren? Tyler Webb? Rob Refsnyder? Chris Young? (Yawn.) We also mentioned Josh Outman because he's apparently a thing now.
[44:50] The talent gap between Triple-A and the majors seems to be growing
[47:15] Tweetbag: Manerger Griardi vs. Manager Girardi, tacos, favorite possible September call-ups, pizza, and fun with mics
[55:11] B-Ref segment: Best/worst Yankees career OPS by position
[1:06:18] Yankee/Mitre of the Week

Podcast link (Length: 1:14:30)

iTunes link

RSS feed

Some on PSA have noted that it seems like the Yankees really struggle on offense the game after scoring a lot of runs. Thursday's two run effort certainly offers anecdotal evidence, but is it really true?

As amazing as the Yankees offensive performance was in the third inning of Wednesday's game, I'm sure we all had in the back of our minds that there was a very real possibility that the team would lay an egg in the very near future. After all, the team has the consistency of a schizophrenic on a coffee bender. They did not upend those expectations in any way yesterday as they managed only two runs against rookie hurler Kyle Lobstein. As several PSA members noted it seems like this team does something like this an awful lot. They put together a good offensive game one day and then follow it up with a real stinker the next.

Well at least in regards to this year, give yourselves a prize for perception because this team has been positively awful the game after scoring eight or more runs. Sure, eight runs is an arbitrary cutoff but that's what they scored on Wednesday so shut the hell up. Their last five run totals the game immediately following after scoring eight have been 2, 2, 0, 2 and 2. Perhaps their arms got tired from making solid contact over and over. But since this is a problem that seemed like it stretched further back than even just this year, I compiled the same data for 2010-2013 as well for the purpose of comparison.

That may be the funniest thing ever. If any of you noticed that the 2013 team was particularly exceptional after scoring eight or more runs last year, please let us know because I certainly didn't. They scored eleven runs after putting fourteen on the Cleveland Indians in April and put fourteen up on the Los Angeles Angels after scoring eleven in August. Throw in three straight days of eight or more against the Boston Red Sox in early September (in which they lost all three) and that's why they were in such stark contrast to this year's squad. As improbable as it seems, they were great after they scored eight runs.

It was pretty depressing how long it took me to compile the numbers for 2010-2012, but those were the wonderful days of when the Yankees actually had a good offense. The team's troubles in this very specific scenario were definitely not as pronounced as they are this season, but the 2012 team did seem to have issues there. Overall it isn't some sort of epidemic infecting the franchise, even if it has seemed to be standing out as such. Most likely just a couple of really terrible performances clouding our collective memories.

So what does any of this mean? Not much, really. It's just another of the many depressing aspects of the 2014 Yankees offense. If they want to avoid sharing yet another characteristic aside from not scoring runs with the 2013 team (missing the playoffs) they should probably stop falling off the face of the Earth when they actually put together a good performance. Try stringing a couple of them together for once, rather than relying so heavily on the pitching staff for your winning streaks.

Oh.

Masahiro Tanaka is headed back to New York after experiencing general arm soreness in his pitching arm while attempting to return from a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. Tanaka is adamant that it is not specifically his elbow that hurts as much as it is his whole arm, from what he speculates may be due to not pitching for a while, but everyone will collectively hold their breath until it is determined that Tanaka hasn't done more damage to his elbow.

Although Tanaka is not yet scheduled to see any doctors in New York when he returns to work out at the Yankees' facilities, it is expected that that will change to make sure the elbow is still intact. Tanaka says he still wants to return this season but this setback may not allow for that, depending on what is causing the discomfort in his arm. Hopefully it's just a matter of shaking off the rust that comes with not pitching for an extending period of time.

Hopefully the issue proves to be nothing major, as Tanaka himself says that he is not worried. We should know more in the coming days. Until then, fingers crossed.

"General soreness" in his injured pitching arm sends Masahiro Tanaka home to the Bronx as he attempts to come back in time for the playoff races.

The Yankees have sent 25-year-old pitcher Masahiro Tanaka back to New York after he experienced pain during a throwing session on Thursday in Detroit, according to MLB.com's Chris Toman.

Tanaka believed the "little extra bit of soreness", as he said through an interpreter, was from not having pitched recently rather than an aggravation of his torn UCL."I haven't been throwing for a couple of weeks and then I started throwing again and built up the number of pitches. I think that's the reason," he said.

The young pitcher isn't the only one who seems relatively at ease about his arm issues. Manager Joe Girardi appeared optimistic that Tanaka's assessment of the situation was correct.

As he told Toman, "There's obviously concern, but I think we play it out this week to see where we're at." In fact, the Yankees manager said while Tanaka would skip his throwing session on Tuesday, he would still be doing soft tosses and may thrown in the bullpen sometime next week. "He's going to continue to play catch and do some exercises that a pitcher would normally do, and we'll go from there," Girardi said.

The lack of panic comes from a mix of optimism and Tanaka's insistence that the pain is not in any particular part of the arm but a "general soreness."

"When we ask him is there one spot, he does not point to one spot, he just says general soreness," Girardi said.

It's not as though Girardi isn't aware of the risks, however. As he told Toman, "We're going to proceed, and it's either going to be he's healthy or he needs surgery."

Yankees 6 (it seemed like so many more) Blue Jays 3

We just played a bad game. I'll recap it, but if I were you I'd just skip to the comment leader board at the end.

Mark Buehrle looked good early. For 6 innings he was good, then, in the 7th everything he threw was hit hard, or well out of the strike zone.

The 7th went, hard double by Brian McCann over Jose Bautista, Bautista maybe should have caught it but it was a tough play. Carlos Beltran walked. Brett Gardiner also doubled over Bautista, this one Jose didn't have a shot at. Bautista threw it into Steve Tolleson and Tolleson, for reasons that defy understanding decided to throw towards third, even though he had no shot at Beltran. Steve missed third by a good bit, allowing Beltran to score and moving Gardiner to third. Ichiro Suzuki tapped an infield single that didn't score Gardiner. And that was it for Buehrle. He was great/good for 6 innings and then in the 7th everything he threw was high.

Aaron Loup came in and did strikeout Chase Headley. But, with Jacoby Ellsbury up, Dioner Navarro decided to try to pick Gardiner off third and threw it into left. It was just a stupid play. Ellsbury followed that we a home run and that was pretty much the game.

Dustin McGowan gave up a solo homer in the 9th to Chase Headley (just shoot me).

Our awesome offense managed 3 runs. Jose Bautista homered (for the third straight game) in the 4th, giving us a 1-0 league. And we got two more runs in the 7th. Colby Rasmus took a 1-out walk and scored on Kevin Pillar's double. Jose Reyes reached on a Derek Jeter error, moving Pillar to third. Melky Cabrera scored him on a pretty shallow sac fly. Good running by Pillar. Gardner in left made an error on the throw, letting Reyes to second. Bautista was hit by pitch, giving us a chance to tie the game, but Edwin Encarnacion sliced one straight at right fielder Suzuki.

Jays of the Day? Bautista is the only one that got the number, putting up a .120 WPA, but I'm giving up to Pillar too. He was 2 for 4 with  a double. He was exciting on the bases and he made a couple of very nice catches in CF.  At least he was fun to watch. Navarro was 3 for 4, but I'm not giving him a JoD because that throw was terrible. Rasmus was the only over Jay to do much with the bat, going 2 for 3 with a walk.

Suckage: Buehrle (-.138, almost not fair, he was so good early), Loup (-..098), Edwin (-.132, 0 for 4), Danny Valencia (-.117, 0 for 4, and a terrible throw home on a soft ground ball that, somehow, we got the out call, after Gibby asked for a challenge) and Melky (-.117, 0 for 4)

We had 854 comments in the thread, that veered off into Alberta politics and the relative values of ice cream and sex (youth is wasted on the wrong people). You kind of had to be there. Spor beat me out for the top spot, good job.

Two innings of offense ended up being enough to win the game.

After the first few innings of tonights game, it looked like the Yankees might be shutout, which would have been especially disheartening following the other night's 9-hits-in-a-row game. Thankfully, they finally got on the board in the seventh inning, and those runs were enough to give them the win.

Tonight Chris Capuano earned his first win since becoming a Yankee, as he held the Blue Jays to just two runs. The first came in the fourth inning, a home run by Jose Bautista that carried into the second deck in left field. They didn't score again until the seventh inning, when Colby Rasmus worked the only walk of the night. Kevin Pillar then doubled to drive him in. On the next play, Jose Reyes ended up safe at first after hitting a grounder to Derek Jeter, who was charged with an error after Mark Teixeira was unable to dig his throw to first out of the dirt. At this point, Joe Girardi decided to take Capuano out of the game with two runners on and only one out, but he pitched well tonight overall, going 6.1 innings with four strikeouts.

The Yankees continued to struggle defensively after Adam Warren came into the game. Toronto's third and final run was scored on a sac fly by Melky Cabrera, however, Brett Gardner's throw to home plate beat the runner. Brian McCann just couldn't handle the bounce, so Pillar was able to score and for some reason Gardner was charged with the error. The Blue Jays also threatened to score in the eighth. With two outs, Munenori Kawasaki pinch hit, and Girardi decided to match that move with his own move. Newly acquired Josh Outman made his Yankee debut, and he failed to get an out, man (Sorry). Kawasaki singled up the middle and David Robertson was called on to get the final four outs of the game, which he was able to do with no problems.

It was a quiet night for the Yankees' offense up until the seventh inning when McCann hit a lead-off double over Bautista's head and off of the wall. Then Carlos Beltran worked a walk, and Gardner hit his own double over Bautista's head to score McCann. The cutoff man, Steve Tolleson, then airmailed the ball past third base, where he was trying to get Beltran, allowing Beltran to score. Gardner advanced to third, and there was some controversy over whether Gardner should have been allowed to score because of fan interference. The umpires said he shouldn't. Ichiro Suzuki came up next, and did what he does best, got on an infield hit. With one out, Dioner Navarro then decided to try and pick Gardner off of third base, but sailed the ball past third, allowing Gardner to score. The Yankees tacked on two more runs after Jacoby Ellsbury homered to right. According to the Blue Jays booth, that home run was the first that Aaron Loup has allowed to a left hander in his career.

They went on to add another run in the ninth inning, a home run off the bat of Chase Headley, who pinch hit for Stephen Drew earlier in the game. Ellsbury then tripled to center after the cutoff man didn't even attempt to make a play. This was followed by Jeter reaching on a fielder's choice, and Ellsbury deciding to try and score. Initially, Ellsbury was called safe at the plate after he slid and Navarro had to jump up for the ball. The Blue Jays challenged and the call was overturned. Girardi then challenged that there wasn't an open lane, and the call stood. Luckily, the outcome of the game didn't hinge on this decision. Ellsbury was wincing as he walked away from the plate, so hopefully he's okay.

Michael Pineda will get the start tomorrow afternoon against Drew Hutchison at 1:07 pm EST.

Box score.

Newsday | David Lennon: While they could certainly use Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees don't exactly need him as their second-half rotation has been fantastic.

New York Post | Ken Davidoff: The Yankees bullpen is being overworked and they need to manage it better if they want to continue winning.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: It's very possible that Masahiro Tanaka will be shut down for the year.

ESPN New York | Mark Simon: According to stats, the Yankees have to drop Derek Jeter in the lineup for the betterment of the team.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Hiroki Kuroda has had a great month of August thanks to Joe Girardi going easy on him this summer, unlike last year.

It's About the Money | Katie Sharp: The Yankees have benefitted greatly from Joe Girardi's ability to win instant replay challenges this year.

Baseball America | Josh Norris: Yankees outfield prospect Jake Cave has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last week.

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from August 29th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 5-6 vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs

SS Jose Pirela 0-2, K
RF Chris Young 1-4, K
2B Rob Refsnyder 0-4, K
1B Kyle Roller 1-4, K
CF Adonis Garcia 2-4, 2 doubles, RBI
3B Scott  Sizemore 1-4, HR, RBI, K - 6th homer of the season
C John Ryan Murphy 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, K - 6th homer of the season

Manny Banuelos 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, WP
Edgmer Escalona 2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Tyler Webb 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
Preston Claiborne 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 0-3 vs. Reading Fightin Phils

LF Jake Cave 0-5, 2 K
1B Greg Bird 1-4, K
3B Rob Segedin 1-3, double, BB
C Francisco Arcia 2-4, double
2B Dan Fiorito 2-4, double, K
CF Mason Williams 0-3, BB, K

Luis Severino 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Phil Wetherell 2.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, K
Mark Montgomery 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A Tampa Yankees: L 4-8 vs. Daytona Cubs

CF Mark Payton 0-4, BB, K
3B Eric Jagielo 1-4
RF Aaron Judge 0-2, 2 BB
DH Mike Ford 1-3, double, 2 RBI, BB
2B Jose Rosario 2-4, 2 RBI, K

Miguel Sulbaran 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, pickoff, 2 WP
Chris Smith 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, K
Caleb Cotham 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 6-1 vs. Augusta GreenJackets

SS Tyler Wade 1-4, RBI, BB, 2 K
DH Michael O'Neill 3-4, RBI, K, HBP
1B Jackson Valera 2-5, double, RBI
LF Brandon Thomas 2-5, double, RBI
2B Gosuke Katoh 0-4, BB, 4 K, SB

Rookie Davis 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 2 WP
Evan Rutckyj 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB
Stefan Lopez 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:W 8-7 vs. Vermont Lake Monsters

2B Billy Fleming 2-4, double, 2 K, HBP, E4 - fielding error, 3rd of the season
DH Connor Spencer 2-5, RBI
1B Chris Breen 3-4, double, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K - 8th homer of the season
C Luis Torrens 1-5, double, RBI, K, passed ball
SS Vince Conde 1-4, double, RBI, BB, K

Jordan Montgomery 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Jordan Foley 3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Rony Bautista 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, WP
Joe Harvey 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, hit batsman
Ethan Carnes 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB

GCL Yankees 1W 8-4 vs. GCL Yankees 2 (One-game semifinals)

GCL Yankees 1:

SS Jorge Mateo 0-3, BB
DH Bryan Cuevas 1-3, HR, RBI, BB
2B Thairo Estrada 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, K, SB
CF Leonardo Molina 2-4, double, K

Reynaldo Polanco 3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, hit batsman
Matt Marsh 2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Francis Joseph 0.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB
Travis Hissong 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP
Jose Mesa 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, K, WP
Jonny Drozd 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB

GCL Yankees 2:

2B Junior Valera 2-4, RBI, BB
RF Kevin Alexander 3-5, double, SB
CF Jordan Barnes 1-2, double, BB, K, HBP

Cale Coshow 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Nestor Cortes 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R/2 ER, 1 BB
Mike Noteware 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Jose Pena 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB
Joey Maher 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

The hump game of this three-game series gets underway today at 1:07 pm as Drew Hutchison takes on Michael Pineda. If you'll recall, Pineda started the season pretty amazingly including a dominating performance against the Blue Jays before getting caught with pine tar all over his body on April 23rd which ended up being worth a ten-game suspension. While pitching in a simulated game during the suspension he hurt himself and was out until about two weeks ago when he returned the Yankees rotation and picked up where he left off.

In total he's made seven starts this year (four before the injury and three after the injury) and hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of them. His ERA currently sits at 1.95 and his BB-rate is a minuscule 2.9%, so it makes you wonder where the Yankees would be right now if Pineda hadn't decided to take a shower in pine tar earlier in the season.

In terms of what he's throwing, Pineda has stuck to his trusty fastball and slider combination which is still having fantastic results regardless of if the baseball is doctored or not. He's not putting up huge strikeout numbers like he used to and he's living and dying on a currently low HR/FB rate (3.7%) as seen by his 33.0 GB%, but it's worked so far so who am I to judge. It's time to guess which is these slider dots represents April (with pine tar) and which of them represents August (presumably no pine tar):

If you guessed that the slider had more movement back in April then you would obviously be correct.

Hopeful Lineup

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Melky Cabrera LF
3. Jose Bautista RF
4. Adam Lind DH
5. Edwin Encarnacion 1B
6. Dioner Navarro C
7. Colby Rasmus CF
8. Juan Francisco 3B
   
9. Munenori Kawasaki 2B

Bullpen Usage

Unfortunately I'm out of town today without internet so I have no idea who was used from the bullpen last night. Assuming that Mark Buehrle had a fairly good game, then all Blue Jays relievers should be available for this afternoon's game.

Find The Link

Find the link between Michael Pineda and the man in the news recently for throwing ice cream at a scout.

Michael Pineda takes the mound against Drew Hutchison and the Blue Jays in game two this afternoon. SEATTLE KNEW....oh wait, no. No they did not.

Comment of the Game

Once again,Pun Dog comes through for Pinstripe Alley. Blanky is technically the COTG winner, but the award probably goes to Pun Dog more than her.

Best GIF of the Recap

There really weren't a lot of GIFs in the Recap Thread yesterday. I would normally save this for the HMM, but since Matt's GIF is the only one that was blue'd, he wins the BGOTR award.

Honorable Mod Mention

See above

Best Comments of the Day

You know, I'm not sure what helped SteelNets win the first COTD more; the fact that his comment was blue or the fact that I first read his username as SteelNuts, due to the topic he was posting in.

Rorschach wins the second COTD award with his honesty about protecting the family jewels. For if there is anyone on Pinstripe Alley who knows about testicles, it is he!

Fun Questions

• Who do you currently think is the "ace" of the Yankees' staff?
• If you brought food to Yankee Stadium, what would you bring?

The schedule doesn't favor the Yankees, but it does give them an opportunity.

The path to winning the division is obvious but steep. After this weekend's series, here's what's left of 2014:

3 Home vs Red Sox
3 Home vs Royals
3 Home vs Rays
4 Away at Orioles
3 Away at Rays
4 Away at Blue Jays
4 Home vs Orioles
3 Away at Red Sox

Three against the Royals, four against the Blue Jays, six against the Red Sox, six against the Rays, and eight against the Orioles.

That's 16 games against teams with nothing to play for except the chance to spoil Derek Jeter's final season, and 11 games against two teams fighting for a playoff berth. The Captain has it right: as he reminded the media after the missed opportunity in Detroit, "When you play the teams that are ahead of you, you don’t have to look at the scoreboard."

So what do the Orioles have ahead of them after they wrap up their weekend series with the Twins?

Three against the Reds, six against the Blue Jays, six against the Red Sox, three against the Rays, and eight against the Yankees.

The Yankees need to keep pace with the Orioles throughout September, and then dominate the Birds in the head to head matchup. They've gone 3-8 against the Fightin' Showalters so far this season. The Yankees need to go on a tear for the ages- maybe 20 or 21 for 27- but those were the teams of '49, of '78, of '95, and of '05.

Since Yangervis Solarte started the season with an April triple slash of .303/.404/.461, only Brett Gardner is the only regular to best that .865 OPS month (Gardner's insane July .932 OPS!). This a team that desperately needs one of the heavy hitters to get hot. This a team that's due for it.

Why not?

Jake Lamb's Grand slam in the eighth backed a strong outing from Josh Collmenter to help the D'backs win 3-2.

Quotes

"I've seen him hit some mammoth home runs. He's definitely got a lot of power. I know he's been hurt off and on the last couple years. Coming up he was the best hitter I ever played with in the minor leagues. It's just a matter of being able to stay healthy at this point, I think."

- David Hernandez on Nolan Reimold

Daily D'backs

Jake Lamb's grand slam leads Diamondbacks - azcentral.com

In a competition of who could spoil a brilliant-but-abbreviated outing from their starting pitcher first, the Colorado Rockies bullpen managed to out-stink its Arizona Diamondbacks counterpart, handing 3B Jake Lamb his first career grand slam and the Diamondbacks a 5-2 win Friday at Chase Field.

D'backs win BTN - Arizona Sports 620

Diamondbacks' Nolan Reimold can certainly hit, when healthy - azcentral.com

David Hernandezhas fond memories of Nolan Reimold. The injured Diamondbacks pitcher and the newly acquired outfielder played in the minors together in the Baltimore Orioles' system and debuted in the majors together in 2009. Hernandez remembers what Reimold could do at the plate before two neck surgeries sent the outfielder back to Square 1.

Lamb making adjustments in big-league trial - Fox Sports Arizona

Lamb had a slow start in a small sample size with the D-backs, and Green texted Lamb while the D-backs were in Washington, reminding him of his earlier turnaround. Since that and two work days with D-backs hitting coach Turner Ward, Lamb has reached safely in all four games he has played, with four hits, three walks and his first major league home run last Saturday.

D-backs expect injured players back starting Monday; D-backs add Reimold to roster, release Paul - dbacks.com

The D-backs expect to get a host of players back from the disabled list when rosters expand on Monday. The D-backs added outfielder Nolan Reimold to the roster Friday and released outfielder Xavier Paul.

Randy Johnson lists Paradise Valley home for $25 million - azcentral.com

Future Baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson is selling his Paradise Valley mansion. The left-handed pitching legend is asking $25 million for the 25,000-square-foot Tuscan-style home near Mummy Mountain.

Around Baseball

186 mph may be tough to hit - Bleacher Report

If you feel sorry for hitters who have to face Cincinnati Reds flamethrower Aroldis Chapman, wait until you see former Japanese baseball player Takeshi Yamasaki try to hit a 186 mph fastball.

Tanaka experiences soreness in throwing arm - mlb.com

The injury-riddled Yankees were dealt another blow Friday when Masahiro Tanaka suffered a setback in his rehab after experiencing general soreness in his throwing arm.

Nice to be on the winning side for a change.

Yankees 0 Blue Jays 2

A win. What a novel idea.

Drew Hutchison had a terrific start. He allowed just 1 hit over 7 innings. He did have 2 walks and 2 hit batters, the hit batters came either side of the one hit, with two outs in the 4th inning, the only inning he had any troubles, but he was able to get Martin Prado to fly out to end the Yankee's only thread of the day.

We didn't do much on offense. Jose Bautista's 4th home run in his last 4 games, a 2-run shot in the first inning was the sum total of the scoring on the day. We should have scored more, we had 7 hits on the day, but it goes down as the 15th time in 25 August games that we scored 3 runs or less, and the 2nd time that we've won despite scoring less than 4 runs.

Aaron Sanchez was perfect over the last 2 innings to get his first major league save, and 2nd professional save. He had 1 in the minors. I'm so glad that Gibby didn't bring in Casey. Aaron had 3 strikeouts in the 6 outs.

It is pretty impressive to hold the Yankees to 1 hit. And a pretty quick game, even with Michael Pinada being very slow. The game took just 2:32, pretty quick for a game with the Yankees.

Jays of the Day are Drew (.414 WPA), Sanchez (.157) and Bautista (..136).

No Suckage Jays, Kevin Pillar had the low mark at -.073, but he made a nice catch in CF to balance things.

It was a pretty quiet GameThread, 287 comments. Alan F led the way to victory. Great job.

Blargh.

Like last night, the Yankees struggled to get any offense going early on. The main difference between the two games is that yesterday, the Yankees found some offense and rode one big inning to a win. Today, they failed to take the one major chance they had and remained in a coma for the whole game. Michael Pineda's outing went very well, but Drew Hutchison's was better. Hutchison and Aaron Sanchez combined to one-hit the Yankees as the Blue Jays won 2-0.

Toronto got on the board quickly in the bottom of the first. Jose Reyes led off the game for the Blue Jays with a single. Pineda came back and got the next two outs, but Jose Bautista then hit a massive home run off him. That made it 2-0 Blue Jays after one inning.

After that, Pineda was pretty good. Through six innings, the home run was really the only scoring opportunity the Blue Jays had. Problem was, the Yankees' offense was doing absolutely nothing against Hutchison. In the fourth inning, the Yankees started a two-out rally to load the bases, which included the Yankees' only hit: a double by Mark Teixeira. Martin Prado wound up flying out to end the inning and strand three runners.

Pineda came back out to start the seventh inning, but after allowing a single to Edwin Encarnacion and a double to Dioner Navarro, his day was over. Big Mike went six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out three. Shawn Kelley came in to relieve Pineda and did a nice job getting out of the jam and keeping the score at 2-0.

In the top of the eighth, the Yankees again went down in order. David Huff came in to pitch the bottom half of the inning and threw a scoreless inning.

The Yankees had one last chance to redeem themselves in the top of the ninth. Much like they did for most of the game, the Yankees went down without a fight. Aaron Sanchez pitched a second 1-2-3 inning and the Blue Jays got a 2-0 win.

The Yankees and Blue Jays will finish up their series tomorrow at 1:07 eastern. Brandon McCarthy and J.A. Happ are the probable starting pitchers. Please win.

Box score.

For one glorious day, Corban Joseph made it

After seven seasons in the Yankees system, Corban Joseph has been released from the organization that originally drafted him back in 2008. The release isn't that surprising, considering CoJo is eligible for minor league free agency at the end of the season. Releasing him now is probably doing him a favor, giving him a head start in trying to find a new employer, and he might have even asked for it.

Most guys don't get a shot in the majors before their professional careers come to an end. At least CoJo got his shot, however brief it was. Called up as the 26th man for a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians on May 13, 2013, he got his chance to show his worth, playing second and first and doing a little something offensively in his only two major league games:

That's a walk against Justin Masterson and a hit against Trevor Bauer, two brand names. Good for him. I remember watching these games and thinking that this was just the beginning, and while he certainly didn't have future All-Star in his scouting report, his ability to play multiple positions could have allowed him to etch out a nice living as a non-Eduardo Nunez utility player. And unlike Nunez, no one hated him.

Alas, it was not in his cards, as upon being sent back down to Triple-A the next day, CoJo played through the end of the month before a shoulder injury prematurely ended his season, and honestly, quite possibly his chance at a major league career. You see, he was coming off a career-year where the once offensively inept middle infielder put together an impressive .276/.375/.465, 15-home run 2012 season. He went on to hit a respectable .270/.355/.434 in the first month and a half of 2013, and though he was sent down after the two games, it seemed implied that he'd find his way back up sooner, rather than later. Then the injury happened and he was gone. Just like that.

He returned healthy again this season, but hit a career-worst .268/.320/.387 in his third year at Triple-A. Promotions and superior play from Rob Refsnyder, Jose Pirela, and Kyle Roller squeezed him out of every position imaginable, leading him to rot on the bench for long periods of time before he was used again. Corban Joseph's career is a true example of an organization passing a player by. One moment he's a promising and useful player, the next he's kicked off the 40-man roster and used as Triple-A fodder as a new generation moves up a level.

Baseball is a different kind of employment; you don't get tenure, you don't get credit for sticking it out and sticking around. You either show promise or you don't, and that's all you have. Consider all the other one-hit wonders who came before; the Steve Garrisons and the Kevin Whelans. Still, Joseph is only 25 and another team will surely sign him, as the Indians signed David Adams (who was later claimed by the Orioles), and the Reds now have Brett Marshall. Neither has appeared in a major league game for their new teams since the Yankees let them go, though, so there's probably not too much hope left for him at this point. But even so, a job is a job is a job, and unless he has something else lined up, he'll be back next year to continue the grind and support his family the only way he knows how. Such is the life of a minor league baseball player.

With the loss of CoJo, only David Phelps, Jeremy Bleich, Kyle Higashioka, Pat Venditte, and Nik Turley remain of the Yankees' 2008 draft class. If they managed to sign Gerrit Cole back then, maybe it would look like a more successful draft, but as it is, right now, it's looking pretty bad. Phelps might be the only thing the Yankees ever get out of that year, but at least they got something positive from Corban Joseph, even if it was just one hit on one spring day.

Just two more days left of the regular minor league season.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs shut out the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Astros), 3-0.

Dallas Beeler started and allowed only four hits over seven innings. Beeler walked three and struck out four. It was Beeler's ninth win of the year.

Blake Parker came into the game in the top of the ninth and allowed a single and a walk to the first two batters he faced. But then Parker retired the next three batters, two on strikes, to collect his 25th save. That tied the Iowa Cubs franchise record for saves in a season.

First baseman Jonathan Mota hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to open up the scoring. It was Mota's fourth home run of the year and third for Iowa. Mota was 2 for 2.

In the bottom of the eighth, left fielder Ryan Kalish hit his seventh home run of the year with a man on. Kalish was 1 for 4.

Unfortunately, earlier in the day the Colorado Springs Sky Sox blew a 7-2 lead and lost to the Omaha Storm Chasers, 10-9. The win by Omaha ended Iowa's chances at the postseason.

Tennessee Smokies

Rained out. That means they're going to play a doubleheader tomorrow in Chattanooga. If either team wins both games, they'll be the second-half champions. If they split, it will come down to the final game of the year on Monday.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs lost to the Tampa Yankees, 3-1. Who cares? Daytona clinched the second-half title yesterday.

Starter Yao-Lin Wang took the loss. Wang allowed three runs on six hits over three innings. Wang struck out two and walked one.

Shortstop Marco Hernandez was 1 for 4 with a double.

Daytona's regular season ends tomorrow. They start the playoffs against Dunedin on Tuesday.

Kane County Cougars

The Kane County Cougars had the hoses turned on them by the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals), 4-2. It was the first time the Cougars lost at home since July 28.

Daury Torrez didn't pitch poorly, but he got the loss after he surrendered two runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out three and did not walk anyone. He did hit one batter.

Right fielder Yasiel Balaguert was 3 for 3 with a double and a walk. He had one run batted in.

Second baseman Danny Lockhart was 2 for 4 with a double. He singled and scored in the bottom of the ninth. First baseman Jacob Rogers was 2 for 4.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks hung on to quell the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Giants), 9-8. With the win, the Hawks qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Trevor Graham started and allowed four runs on nine hits over five innings. One of the four runs Graham allowed was unearned.  Graham struck out five and didn't walk anyone.

Ryan Williams got his first professional save. Williams pitched two scoreless innings and allowed just one hit. He struck out one and did not walk anyone.

The Hawks jumped out to an 8-1 lead after three innings in this game and then hung on for the win. In the middle of this game, a storm blew in and the wind started blowing out at 30 to 40 mph.  This le d to James Norwood, who had never allowed a home run as a professional, giving up three home runs in the two innings he worked.

The one Hawk able to take advantage of this windstream was second baseman Gleyber Torres. Torres hit his second home run and first for Iowa in the fifth inning with the bases empty to make the score 9-4. Torres was 2 for 4 and also doubled and scored twice.

Hawks DH Justin Marra clubbed a home run before the winds came, his ninth home run of the season. It was a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Marra was 1 for 3 with two walks.

Right fielder Charcer Burks went 2 for 3 with two walks. He scored two runs and had one RBI.

Left fielder Kevin Brown was 2 for 5 with a triple. He scored twice and had one RBI. Catcher Danny Canela was 2 for 5 with three RBI.

Apparently the Hawks staff threw ice cream sandwiches into the stands tonight as a fan giveaway.

Boise will take on Hillsboro in a best-of-three series starting on Tuesday in Boise.