There's a reason the phrase "prospects will break your heart" exists.

Here's a #HotTake: the Yankees have struggled to produce major league caliber players from their farm system for quite some time now. Yes, this is a stunning development. All the luck the Yankees seemed to have in the early '90s when they conjured up three very long careers out of mostly unheralded prospects Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera has not followed them into the new millennium. The last productive position player prospect they churned out was Brett Gardner. While since the mid-'90s they've been typically able to supplement this core with a couple universally well-regarded prospects who worked out in Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams and a plethora of free agent signings and trade acquisitions, that well is about to run dry with the retirement of Jeter, the last active player from that youth movement.

The easy excuse would be to blame management for not doing a better job at producing prospects, but the fact of the matter is that it is incredibly difficult to do so and almost unprecedented to have so many prospects work out at once the way Rivera and company did. That being said, one would expect the system to have produced homegrown products at least a little better over the past 15 years or so around the majors than Gardner, Phil Hughes, Austin Jackson, and company. Of course, it's not a problem unique to the Yankees--producing "the next Core Four" is simply expecting far too much. It's a challenge to produce homegrown players. Look at the Oakland Athletics, who have had the best run differential in baseball this year. They have precisely two homegrown players on their roster: closer Sean Doolittle and starter Sonny Gray.

I don't think I'm wrong in saying that the general feeling around Pinstripe Alley is that we enjoy prospects. I know I do. It's exciting to look toward the future and hope for the best. The harsh truth of baseball though is that the cliche is true: prospects will break your hearts. One way to bring prospect expectations back to earth is to look at old top prospects list. Baseball America has all of its Top 100s available to the public dating back to 1990. While some of those players went on to great careers, most were just mediocre or never made it at all. The same can be said of the Yankees' own top ten prospect lists from years past. While the Yankees have admittedly not had as great a system as those in other franchises, the difficulty in succeeding in the majors is still apparent.

Take a look back at Baseball Prospectus's top ten Yankees prospects as of the end of the 2009 minor league season, roughly five years ago today. These players have now had five professional seasons to define their careers. So where are they now?

1) Jesus Montero - C

The cream of the crop and so far, one of the biggest prospect busts of all time. He wasn't just the top Yankees prospect--from 2010 through 2012, both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus ranked him among their top seven prospects in all of baseball for three years in a row, reaching as high as number three overall on both lists in 2011. After the '09 season, BP's Kevin Goldstein (who now works for the Astros) wrote:

Simply put, Montero is one of the best offensive prospects in the game, and possibly the best. He's a massive slugger with the contact skills of a batting champion, with one scout classifying his ability to put the middle of the barrel on the ball "almost supernatural." His raw power is at or near the top of the charts-and he's just starting to tap into it. He has the potential for 30-40 home runs annually. He's a hard worker who puts as much work into his defense as his hitting, and he's made great strides behind the plate... though he remains a well below-average catcher.

Goldstein said that Montero was possibly the best offensive prospect in a class that included Giancarlo Stanton and Buster Posey, just to name a couple players. That is heavy praise.

Of course, Montero never made it as a catcher. He was so dreadful behind the plate that after trading for him in 2012, he only caught 85 major league games for them before the Mariners ended the experiment. Even more damning is that his bat has not translated to the majors at all. Despite promising numbers in a 2011 September call-up with the Yankees, he has hit only .251/.291/.378 in Seattle with an 89 OPS+ in 170 games. He was suspended 50 games for his involvement in the Biogenesis PED scandal, and he showed up to spring training 40 pounds overweight this year and told reporters that he basically did nothing all off-season. He thus spent all but six games this year in Triple-A, and he was not called up in September, partially I'm sure as a result of the now-infamous ice cream sandwich incident.

Oy.

2) Arodys Vizcaino, RHP

It wasn't long after this was released that the Yankees sent Vizcaino to the Braves along with Melky Cabrera and Mike Dunn in exchange for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan. (Austin Jackson, a rare success story, is not on this list because he was traded for Curtis Granderson before the list came out.) Although the Braves liked Melky, who didn't pan out for them at all, the key to this deal for them was Vizcaino. He had just turned 19 that November, and Goldstein was glowing about him:

Vizcaino's combination of stuff and refinement is rarely found in a teenager. His clean arm action leads to effortless 92-94 mph fastballs that get up to 97 when he reaches back for a bit more, while his smooth mechanics allow him to harness his pitches and pound the strike zone. His power curveball already grades out as big-league average with the projection of becoming a true wipeout offering.

When Javy flopped for the Yankees, fans rued losing Vizcaino. Fortunately for them I suppose, Vizcaino has turned into nothing. He has not pitched in the majors since his major league debut in 17 games out of the bullpen for the Braves in 2011. He fell victim to the Tommy John surgery plague and missed all of 2012 and 2013 recovering, and in the meantime was traded to the Cubs in a 2012 deadline deal involving Paul Maholm. Now a reliever only, the righty pitched nicely in Double-A but not in Triple-A. He was recently recalled in September, but if he pitches for the Cubbies, it will be his first MLB action in almost three years.

3) Manny Banuelos, LHP

Sigh. In addition to his ranking on the pre-2010 list, ManBan was such an exciting pitching prospect as recently as spring training 2012. The small lefty rose quickly through the Yankees' system in 2010 and 2011, reaching Scranton by the end at age 20. He was the consensus top prospect after the Montero trade and among the overall top 30 by BP, BA, and MLB.com (who ranked him 13th overall). Then, he began having elbow problems and his shaky stats in Scranton early in 2012 were evident that something wasn't right.

The Yankees tried desperately to have him avoid Tommy John surgery, but eventually, ManBan went under the knife and missed the entire 2013 season. This current season felt like another year of rehab, as Banuelos worked his way up in abbreviated starts from Tampa to Trenton to Scranton again. He's certainly not a bust yet and will only be 24 next March, but he has a lot to prove in 2015.

4) Zach McAllister, RHP

A third round high school pick in 2006, Goldstein liked what McAllister had to offer, calling him "a finesse pitcher hiding in a power pitcher's frame," while also noting "two quality breaking balls and a solid changeup." The Yankees sent him to Cleveland at the 2010 trade deadline in exchange for Austin Kearns, though it was basically a bigger trade that also involved Kerry Wood coming to the Yankees for Andrew Shive and Matt Cusick, if not officially.

Although Wood helped them down the stretch out of the bullpen, it appeared that this deal would hurt since McAllister pitched effectively for Cleveland in 2012 and 2013 with a 3.99 ERA and 4.13 FIP in 46 starts. The fact that this year has been an absolute nightmare for Z-Mac has made it easier to swallow as he pitched so badly in Cleveland that he was demoted to Triple-A. While his FIP is okay at 3.92, he has a miserable 5.89 ERA and 1.536 WHIP on the year, and is no longer in the rotation. Yuck.

5) Austin Romine, C

Romine has pretty much always been regarded as a guy who would turn into an all-field, no-hit catcher. There was more hope for his bat back at the end of the '09 season, when he hit .276/.322/.441 with a 119 wRC+ in High-A Tampa. He was even roughly league average in 2010 and 2011 with Trenton and Scranton, respectively. A back injury-shortened 2012 season did not help his stock though, and when he was effectively made the big league backup catcher to Chris Stewart (barf) in 2013 following Francisco Cervelli's season-ending injury, he was awful. Romine hit .207/.255/.296 with a 48 wRC+ in 60 games. How he actually hit his one home run in Petco Park is beyond me.

Romine returned to Triple-A in 2014 with the big league catching situation set with Brian McCann and Cervelli, and when Cervelli missed time, the Yankees instead elected to go with John Ryan Murphy as the backup to McCann instead of Romine. He wasn't doing himself any favors in Scranton by hitting .242/.300/.365 with an 82 wRC+ anyway. Maybe Romine turns into a big league backup after all due to his defense, but that appears to be his ceiling.

6) Gary Sanchez, C

A baby when this prospect list was written, Sanchez was only 17 and in Rookie Ball at the time. His bat was impressing people even then. His story has yet to be told, as he will only be 22 in December. However, while he was probably the team's top prospect at the start of both 2013 and 2014, it seems likely that Luis Severino or possibly Aaron Judge will pass him on most pre-2015 lists, though he could possibly still make it on top.

While rising through the minors, he's continued to hit pretty well for a catcher, including a .270/.338/.406 triple slash with a 108 wRC+ this year. However, he's also battled questions about his maturity and was even suspended by Trenton manager Tony Franklin for a week this year. His defense is also in doubt despite a good arm. We'll see how Sanchez turns out, but his 2014 has made me less optimistic than before.

7) Slade Heathcott, CF

The Yankees' top pick in the 2009 draft, Goldstein mentioned that Heathcott has "plenty to dream on" with scores throughout the scouting scale, especially in natural talent. Of course, Heathcott's biggest problem has been staying on the field since joining the Yankees five years ago. He has yet to play a full season at the minor league level, topping out at 103 games last year. The soon-to-be 24-year-old made it into only nine games this year with Trenton before undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. How fun. Slade still plenty of talent, but until he can actually figure out how to maintain his health for a season, it will be difficult to see him as anything other than another bust.

8) Kelvin De Leon, RF

If you said, "Who?" don't feel silly. I had no idea who this was, either. Another international signing, De Leon made his way onto this list by virtue of a .269/.330/.438 season in Rookie Ball at age 18. He never had a year like that again, struggling throughout A-ball in the four years afterward, hitting .226/.286/.351 in Low-A Charleston with even worse numbers in a 21-game Tampa stint in 2012. He was released at the end of minor league camp this year.

9) John Ryan Murphy, C

Like Sanchez, Murphy has made great strides on his prospect status since '09, when he a second-round pick out of high school. The book is still being written on him, even after a somewhat-disappointing follow-up to his superb 2013 campaign that saw him rise from Trenton to the majors by season's end.

10) Mark Melancon, RP

Another of the Yankees' sneaky late reliever draft picks to eventually flourish, Melancon unfortunately did not quite get there in pinstripes. He was terrific in '09 and '10 with Scranton, but in his 15 MLB cameos with the Yankees, he couldn't seem to find the plate and was battered around by big league hitters. They traded him and Jimmy Paredes at the deadline in 2010 for Lance Berkman. Since then, he's had a very weird career.

Immediately placed on the Astros, Melancon pitched better at the end of 2010 then served capably as Houston's closer in 2011 with a 2.78 ERA, 1.224 WHIP, and 20 saves. The Red Sox saw promise there and acquired him in the 2011-12 off-season, and he promptly bombed upon joining Boston, pitching dreadfully with a 6.20 ERA and 4.58 FIP, even getting demoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. Boston gave up on him and sent him to Pittsburgh in the somewhat-ill-fated Joel Hanrahan deal after the season that actually did get them Brock Holt as well. Melancon immediately became better than ever and made the NL All-Star team with a tremendous season for a surprising Pirates team that broke their 20-year drought of both playoff and winning seasons, and while he's regressed in 2014, he's still been quite effective. Not a bad turnout for a relief prospect at all, though I'm still not losing sleep over losing him.

***

Please do continue to become excited about the Yankees' future with the prospects they have in their system, especially Severino and Judge, among others. Just keep in mind that so often, the kids don't pan out, so if a very intriguing trade opportunity comes along, don't be too afraid to part with them.

You gotta re2pect Derek Jeter. Hi2 cla22 will never again be 2een in a ba2eball 2tadium.

The Yankees are still very much in the Wild Card race, but have had to balance that competition with their fealty to Lord Derek Jeter, of the House Fistpump. Jeter is one of the most legendary Yankees of all-time, so in his last days, the team has to continue to play him every day, hitting second, despite the fact he is one of their worst hitters.

While some teams seem to be able to hit lousy hitters second in the lineup and get away with it, the Yankees are on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in right now. The Yankees are 72-66, four games back of Detroit for the final Wild Card spot, so they are fighting tooth and nail to avoid missing the post-season in consecutive years for the first time since 1992-1993.

The Yankees offense is a collection of names from the past making a lot of money, but with not much productivity to show for it. They easily have the league's oldest lineup (Baseball-Reference weighs team ages according to playing time and the Yankees are by far the oldest at 32.8 years old). However they have scored fewer runs than the Royals, and are fourth worst in the league with just 3.98 runs per game. The Yankees are eleventh in on-base percentage and tenth in slugging.

Chase Headley and Martin Prado have each hit well since coming over to the Yankees in trades at the July deadline. Prado is nursing a sore left hamstring and may miss action tonight however.

The Yankees pitching staff has been its strength, currently seventh in runs allowed at 4.17, just behind Kansas City. They have issued the fewest free passes, and have the fourth most strikeouts. They have allowed the most home runs though, with 80 of the 147 dingers given up at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees make up for that with an outstanding 3.62 strikeout-to-walk ratio at home, easily tops in the league. Friday starter Michael Pineda shut down the Royals for just one run over six-plus innings for an 8-1 win back in Kansas City on August 25 and has walked just four hitters in eight starts.

Yankees relievers are the only bullpen in the league with over 10 strikeouts per nine innings. They are home run-prone, having given up 48 home runs in 418 innings. David Robertson has filled in Mariano Rivera's shoes nicely with a 2.92 ERA and 35 saves in 38 opportunities. Robertson, Dellin Betances, and Shawn Kelley all come out of the Yankees pen with over 12 strikeouts per nine innings.

It was a much closer decision than the "lamestream" media would have you think. Here's the inside story on how the deal went down to decide to keep the Yankees general manager on board.

Deep, deep within the the Earth's crust and directly beneath Yankee Stadium, a shadowy group of figures wrapped in pinstriped cloaks enter a giant, darkened hall. Muffled screams can be heard beyond the walls. The figures take their seats on a massive dais overlooking a circle of lit candles placed on the floor. The figure at the center of the platform blows a massive horn.

Hal Steinbrenner: Let this emergency meeting of the "Cabal of Yankees Overseers" commence! Have "The Disgraced One" bring in the accused.

Alex Rodriguez enters hunched over and drooling while pulling Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman in chains.

Alex Rodriguez: Here he is, benevolent Dark Lords. Did the A-Rod do good?

Hal Steinbrenner: Yes it did. Leave us now, and take this for your troubles.

/tosses Rodriguez an unmarked bottle of pills

Rodriguez: Mmm, my precioussss...

Randy Levine: Brian Cashman: you stand accused of squandering millions of dollars in player salary, missing the playoffs and tarnishing the glorious name of the New York Yankees. How do you plead?

Brian Cashman: Oh crap, this is a trial? I thought we were discussing the possibility of an extension!

Hal Steinbrenner: Foolish GM! When you sign on with the Yankees, we hold the right to literally terminate you!

Maniacal laughter fills the hall

Cashman: Not guilty, I guess? Can't I have a lawyer or something?

Levine: Psssh, lawyers. You humans and always asking for "proper representation".

Hal Steinbrenner: You will defend yourself alone against the inquisitions of the tribunal. Question one: is it true that you are the one that signed 37 year-old Carlos Beltran and 39 year-old Ichiro Suzuki to multi-year deals?

Cashman: I guess technically. But I thought you guys were all on board...

Levine: SILENCE! We are not on trial here! Did you also opt to give CC Sabathia a contract extension? And trade for the corpse of Stephen Drew?

John Sterling: I think Cash has been writing checks his derriere can't cash!

Cashman: Good god, you put Sterling on this tribunal!?

Hal Steinbrenner: Do not besmirch "The Voice of the Yankees". Besides, the guy gets lonely. We just wanted him to feel included.

Jessica Steinbrenner: Isn't there a game going on today?

Cashman: Yes there is! Did Girardi have to go through all this?

Hal Steinbrenner: Enough! Damn it, we always get off track during these things. Brian Cashman: we will now contact the spirits from beyond in order to decide your fate.

Cashman: You can't seriously be planning on...

Levine: Oh yes! Powerful and benevolent spirit of George M. Steinbrenner III, please guide us with your wisdom. Bring in....THE OUIJA BOARD!

Cashman: OH COME ON! This is worse than the dowsing rod the Phillies use to make decisions.

The figures circle around a dingy old Quija board

All: Oh great and powerful boss, tell us what to do with the...

The door bursts open, revealing Hank Steinbrenner riding a donkey with a cases of beers in tow.

Hank Steinbrenner: Alright, now we can get this party started. WOOOOOOO!

Hal Steinbrenner: One: you are late. Two: I told you multiple times this WASN'T a party. Three: where the hell are your pants!?

Cashman: You know what, I'm just gonna go. I'll just assume I still have my job.

Levine: Wait, we've almost got this thing working...aww, forget it. We'll fax you over the paperwork. We never get to have any fun.

Sterling: Looks like Brian isn't flyin'...to a new team!

Everyone groans in unison

One bad defensive play decided the game.

Last time the Yankees faced James Shields, they lit him up for six runs and three walks. That was fun. Sadly, tonight was a different story. The offense put on a terrible performance following last night's walk-off win. Shields pitched really well, but so did Michael Pineda. The only run of the game scored following an error by Chase Headley, and unfortunately the loss came down to that.

The Yankees were getting no-hit until the fourth inning when Brett Gardner doubled to right field with two outs. Carlos Beltran followed and was hit by a pitch, before Brian McCann ended the inning with a pop out. The team only managed to put together two more hits for the remainder of the game. Chase Headley singled in the bottom of the fifth, to no avail. Gardner also had a shot at a home run in the sixth, but the ball was caught at the wall. Their last chance came in the ninth inning, when Derek Jeter hit a single up the middle. Antoan Richardson came in as a pinch runner, then safely stole second base during Gardner's at-bat. Gardner and Beltran both struck out to end the game.

Pineda went toe-to-toe with Shields, but wound up with the bad luck loss, even though he held the Royals to just three hits. He didn't allow any walks, and he had four strikeouts. The one run of the game scored in the third inning, when Alcides Escobar reached on a two-base fielding error by Headley on a fairly routine play. Nori Aoki then hit an RBI single up the middle off of a slider that Pineda left hanging up. When he did miss tonight, he was leaving pitches up. Other than that, the only other hits he allowed were two singles to Salvador Perez.

Dellin Betances came in to pitch the eighth inning and did a fantastic job, striking out two batters and hitting 100 mph on the radar gun. Not to be outdone, David Robertson pitched a clean ninth inning with two strikeouts of his own. Everyone pitched well tonight, which is just about the only positive that can be taken away. Even if Headley hadn't made the error, the offense still would have needed to do something to win the game.

Maybe they'll have better luck tomorrow. The Yankees will send Brandon McCarthy to the mound at 4:05 pm EST to face Danny Duffy.

Box score.

Considering how tense that was, how the heck are we going to survive playoff games?

On Friday night, the Royals did something that they had never done before.

So did Wade Davis.

In a season full of new experiences for an entire generation of Royals fans (and players), new things shouldn’t surprise anyone anymore.

James Shields (13-7) dominated the New York Yankees, leading Kansas City to its first-ever 1-0 victory at Yankee Stadium (new or old). He only had one run of support, and it didn’t matter. Breezing through 8 1/3 innings, he allowed only two Yankees to reach base until Derek Jeter blooped a one-out single in the ninth. Shields had only thrown 97 pitches at that point, leaving fans to wonder what Ned Yost would do.

Yost, who has been burned numerous times for leaving starting pitchers in too long, quickly went to the bullpen. He summoned Wade Davis – not Greg Holland– to record the final two outs of the game. Jeter’s pinch runner swiped second base. Davis didn’t flinch. He blew away Brett Gardner with a 98mph fastball for the second out, and then painted the outside corner perfectly to strike Carlos Beltran out looking to end the game.

It was his first career save. After the game, Davis said that he was summoned because Holland simply needed another day off.

Friday night was more than an impressive pitching performance. The Royals offense continued to struggle, plating just one run (which was unearned) against an on-target Michael Pineda. There was no room for error, and Shields rose to the challenge, blowing through the Yankees in arguably his guttiest outing as a Royal. He struck out six and walked none in his 8 1/3 dazzling frames.

Back in July, some fans wanted Shields traded. Others wanted him shut down, claiming he was injured. He was in the middle of one of the worst stretches of his career, and his team was rapidly falling out of contention.

In his last 12 starts, Shields has posted a 2.26 ERA over 83.2 innings. He has struck out 64 batters and walked just 12. As for the Royals, they’re 32-19 in that span, which began when their ace shut down his former team at Tropicana Field.

Interestingly, Friday was only the second time that he did not eclipse the 100-pitch mark since June 3. In 30 starts this year, Shields has thrown at least 100 pitches in all but five occasions. He also surpassed the 200 innings mark on the season for the eighth consecutive year.

The Royals, like the Yankees, were only able to manufacture three hits. Alcides Escobar reached on what was ruled an error in the third inning; the shortstop battled through an 11-pitch at bat, and finally chopped a sharp grounder to third base that went by Chase Headley. Escobar hustled to second base after Brett Gardner was late getting to the ball, and he would score on Nori Aoki’s single back up the middle. After that, Kansas City would put just one runner on the bases the rest of the way.

Pineda (3-4), who beat the Royals and Shields just two weeks ago, did his best to match his counterpart. He yielded the three hits, struck out four, and did not walk anyone over seven frames. Dellin Betances and David Robertson retired the six hitters they faced in the eighth and ninth innings.

When the final pitch was thrown at Yankee Stadium, the Detroit Tigers were trailing 6-0 to San Francisco. After three innings, severe thunderstorms prompted a lengthily rain delay, which was still going on after more than two hours. At the moment, Kansas City’s lead in the AL Central is 1.5 games, and their magic number is down to 22.

At 78-61, the Royals are a season-high 17 games over .500. After winning the first four games on its September calendar, Kansas City is now 30-11 since July 22.

Up next: Kansas City goes for the series tomorrow when Danny Duffy (8-11, 2.42 ERA) opposes Brandon McCarthy (8-14, 4.19). While it may appear as an on-paper pitching mismatch, it is worth nothing that McCarthy has posted an ERA of 2.80 since being traded to the Yankees in July.

The Royals have 23 games left. After Friday night’s nailbiter, Royals fans are left to wonder how tense playoff games must be. Hopefully, in four weeks, they’ll all know. And hopefully it’ll be pretty darn sweet.

James Shields was magnificent for the Royals on Friday night in New York, leading Kansas City to a 1-0 win over the Yankees. The victory preserved the Royals' lead over the Tigers in the American League Central for at least another day, and allowed Shields to reach the 200-inning milestone yet again.

Shields pitched scoreless baseball into the ninth inning, allowing only three hits and no walks (though he did hit a batter) in 8⅓ innings, with six strikeouts. After Wade Davis struck out Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran to end it, Shields picked up his 13th win of the year.

With 8⅓ innings, Shields now has 200⅓ innings on the season, third in the American League. It is the eighth straight year Shields has reached 200 innings, as of now the only active pitcher in baseball to do so.

There is still time for a pair of pitchers to join Shields in the 200-inning streak club. Mark Buehrle has an active streak of 13 seasons with at least 200 frames, but is sitting on 175 innings with just over three weeks left in 2014. Justin Verlander has a streak of seven straight years, and is at 178 innings this season.

Shields has given Kansas City exactly what it needed in his two seasons there: an inning-eating horse at the top of the rotation. Since the beginning of 2007, nobody has pitched more innings than Shields.

The Wall Street Journal | Daniel Barbarisi: A look back at the boot camp that Derek Jeter underwent in order to turn himself into a professional shortstop.

Pinstriped Prospects | Jed Weisberger: Jaron Long has pushed himself into the spotlight and has made himself a legitimate prospect.

Sports On Earth | Lindsay Berra: Derek Jeter probably should have won the MVP Award back in 1999, a year where he wasn't even close to winning it.

Rolling Thunder | Daniel Pfeiffer:Ben Gamel, Jaron Long, Jake Cave, and Rob Segedin all win Trenton Thunder Postseason Awards.

ESPN New York | Mark Simon: A look at Derek Jeter's career against the Kansas City Royals.

MLB.com | Anthony Castrovince: Thanks to Bucky Dent's famous home run, the 1978 Yankees are one of the best comeback teams of all time.

The Yankees look to Brandon McCarthy to help them bounce back against the Royals.

Comment of the Game

Yesterday's COTG winner was Elcruzter55. We here at Pinstripe Alley approve of jabs at Michael Kay wholeheartedly.

Best GIF of the Recap

Not many GIFs in the Recap Thread yesterday, so the BGOTR goes to Matt F. His is the only one that is blue. Thus, he wins.

Honorable Mod Mention

We have a double HMM victory today, both in the same chain of posts. Michael Brown and Arun Krishnan both respond to Blob winning the COTG from Thursday's game thread. They do not approve of his prognostication methods.

Best Comments of the Day

Our first winner is long time listener, from Michael Brown's humorous post about Cashman. He's still got it!

Two in a row for LTL, this time responding to a comment by River Ave U

Finally breaking LTL's COTD streak is NoMahbles, who proves that all the COTD awards are coming from Michael Brown's thread. Maybe he should have received the HMM award for that thread alone.

Fun Questions

• How do you fix the Yankees offense for next year?
• Best bottled water?

The Humbler claims another victim...

With 23 games left to go, it is possible that the Yankees' backup catcher may have played his last game in 2014.

Francisco Cervelli is down with severe headaches. Austin Romine expected to join Yankees on Saturday.

— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) September 6, 2014

Cervelli has a long history with concussions, so any news of headaches should set off alarms. The catcher has been one of the lone bright spots in a year that has seen very little production out of many of its star players as he's hit to a very strong .284/.341/.441 triple slash line; good for a 113 wRC+ over 40 games. In addition to his surprising offensive contributions, the excitable, fist-pumping backup provided ample value behind the plate.  He has shown solid ability at preventing the running game, having thrown out roughly 26% of attempted base-stealers, while also showcasing a strong ability to steal strikes with his framing skills.

In his place, the Yankees will recall 25-year-old catcher Austin Romine from Triple-A for what will be his third tour of duty with the major league club.  In 81 games for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Romine hit an underwhelming .242/.302/.365 triple slash line, good for an 82 wRC+ at the level. He has also seen very little action during his trips to the majors, having only accumulated two unproductive plate appearances all year, so don't expect him to make much of a difference. With the Yankees barely holding onto their playoff hopes, and the presence of John Ryan Murphy, it is unlikely that we will see Romine play any meaningful innings, unless something goes horribly wrong (knock on everything).

This is just another example of Francisco Cervelli's inability to stay on the field. Maybe he's better fairly soon and maybe he's out for the year, but despite his skills as a catcher, it's clear he's not the most reliable players on the field. He has another two years of arbitration before he's a free agent, so hopefully one of these years he'll be able to stay healthy.

2014 marks the seventeenth season in which Brian Cashman has served as General Manager and Senior Vice President of the New York Yankees. How has he performed to this point?

Well it looks like the New York Yankee front office knows who it wants to fill the role of General Manager in 2015.

Brian Cashman certainly comes with a long track record, having held this role since 1998; making him the third-longest tenured GM in baseball behind Brian Sabean and Billy Beane. In that time, the Yankees have been the most consistently successful team in Major League Baseball by almost any measure; four World Series Championships, six American League pennants, twelve AL East division titles, fourteen postseason appearances and an average of 96 wins a season.

Holding on to a GM position for this length of time is impressive, even before accounting for in the unique challenges and expectations that come with the New York Yankees. Cashman hasn't stuck around by being risk-averse either, having been willing to make some big moves (and non-moves) as well as increasingly showing a willingness to publicly distance himself from decisions made over-his-head by the Steinbrenners and president Randy Levine. Even so, it's not always clear to us fans which moves are Cashman's decisions and which are ordered from above. Of course, ownership should have had a much greater visibility of this when deciding to extend Cashman. Still, at very least he has served as a key advisor on all roster moves, and has likely made many of the key decisions; especially since 2005 when he negotiated for more autonomy. Brian Cashman has to receive a lot of credit for the Yankees consistent success since 1998.

Of course, whenever the conversation shifts to Yankee success, its impossible to ignore the uneven financial playing field in baseball. Mostly because it will be brought up. A lot. Sometimes in an angry voice or all-caps typing. Certainly though, there is fairness to the argument, in Cashman's time as GM this franchise has consistently spent more on player payroll than any team, only recently being superseded by the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's increasingly obvious that spending is not the sole key to success, as in 2013 more teams made the postseason from the bottom-6 payrolls (4) than the top-6 (3). This is not a one year event either; the 2014 graveyard of expensive losers includes these top-8 payrolls:- Phillies, Red Sox, Rangers and quite possibly the Yankees themselves. However, there is no doubt that larger payrolls brings advantages; it makes it easier for a team to keep its own talent, to add free-agent players and to survive bloated years on albatross contracts.

Free-Agency

The financial strength of the Yankees has allowed Brian Cashman to be a big player in free-agency. Rather than hold him somehow accountable for this advantage by expecting a World Series every year, it seems more prudent to simply consider the moves he has made with the money. For the most part Cashman has used free-agency well. From the signing of Mike Mussina in 2000 to bringing in Masahiro Tanaka in 2013, the Yankees have continuously added top-flight talent through the open market. For the most part, these major signings have gone well, aside from the inevitable decline years - hello Jason Giambi. Moves like signing Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira were all factors in the 2009 World Series win. There have of course been unmitigated disasters like the Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa signings but it's difficult to fault the logic too much on Pavano at least.

It's difficult to talk about non-moves in free agency, it implies that the Yankees should be in on every free-agent. The exception to this in my mind is when the Yankees lose a player of their own who they seemingly could have chosen to keep if they matched the market. The two that stand out here are Andy Pettitte in 2003 and Robinson Cano in 2013. Pettitte leaving did hurt the team but he was brought back to help the team win another championship, however it seems unlikely that Cano will be acquired again; any time in the next ten years it would have to be via trade. After the Alex Rodriguez contract in 2007 (have to pin that one on Hank), Brian Cashman seemed unwilling to commit to another deal that keeps an infielder here into his 40's. The decision to give the bulk of the money to Jacoby Ellsbury on a seven year contract instead will likely be one of the biggest Cashman has made in his time here, regardless of how it turns out.

Trades

Cashman hasn't shied away from making the big trade. The biggest in his time here was likely swapping Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias for Alex Rodriguez and a chunk of cash. This was a great trade, though Cashman lucked out when the Texans chose Arias over an older, less polished defender named Robinson Cano. Acquiring Nick Swisher in a package headlined by Wilson Betemit was another move that helped the Yankees win the 2009 World Series. Obtaining Roger Clemens for David Wells was another positive deal.

The Curtis Granderson trade was likely the biggest win-win-win move Cashman was involved with; the Yankees gave up quality talent in Ian Kennedy and Austin Jackson but Granderson lived up to expectations in his time here. The biggest mark against here was probably giving up Mike Lowell, but he loses points for all 3 trades involving Javier Vazquez, including the one where he was traded for Randy Johnson. There have been a few quality players like Tyler Clippard given up for relative peanuts, over the years just as there have been useful players acquired cheap like we've seen this July. Not surprising when he's been making moves for a time-period spanning four full US Presidential terms.

Acquiring Michael Pineda for Jesus Montero represented one of the biggest risks in terms of future perception, but it was the right move at the time given that he was trading from the position of strongest organisational depth and acquiring one of the most valuable assets in baseball;  a young, talented, cost-controlled pitcher. At this point, the trade looks like a Cashman win but it has of course flipped several times over the years.

Player Development

While we're on the subject of organisational depth, it's time to look at the Yankee record with bringing up players from the farm during Brian Cashman's time as GM. Unfortunately New York has not been very successful here recently, which has been a big part of the reason why Cashman has had to make so many free-agent signings and high-profile trades. The talented core that won four World Championships in five seasons at the turn of the millennium - players like Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada - were brought into the system during the stewardship of Gene Michael.

Since then, the only home-grown position players to make a major impact at the big level for the New York Yankees have been Robinson Cano and Brett Gardner. As for starting pitchers, Chien-Ming Wang had a brief but successful run with the Yankees, Phil Hughes showed flashes while with the Yankees and Ivan Nova looked like he might have promise before going down to Tommy John surgery. However, the Yankees have not developed a consistent upper-rotation starter since Pettitte.

Of course, the pressure for immediate results has not helped with this, with multiple prospects being traded away for (or blocked-off by) veterans. Still, it's been ten years since Brian Cashman pushed for greater organisational control and seemingly brought a more long-term vision to player development. We still have not seen the results of this and while the farm system has had a positive 2014 by all accounts, much of the talent is still years away and may never make it to the majors. Robert Refsnyder and Jacob Lindgren are the only prospects expected to challenge for a spot with the big-league team out of spring training.

Final Thoughts

When one person serves as GM for as long as Brian Cashman has, a few hiccups are inevitable. Most of his signings and trades that didn't work out were only flawed with hindsight, and it's often hard to quibble with the logic behind his decisions.

If he does stick around though, I'm hoping the recent improvement in the Yankee farm system continues and we start seeing a steady pipeline of internally developed talent making their way up to the Bronx. With the financial advantage of the Yankees being eroded by a combination of increased wealth elsewhere, additional punitive measures for large payrolls, and a tendency of teams around the league to extend their players before losing them to free-agency; New York cannot continue to compete without developing quality players in-house.

What do you think of Brian Cashman's time here? Here is a list of all moves made while Cashman's been the GM of the Yankees, if you'd like to take a journey through recent franchise history.

The Yankees send out a little bit different of a lineup today as they try to make up for their frustrating loss to the Royals yesterday.

#Yankees lineup: Ellsbury 8, Jeter DH, Prado 4, Teixeira 3, Beltran 9, Headley 5, Wheeler 7, Ryan 6, Murphy 2

— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) September 6, 2014

Jacoby Ellsbury is leading off with Brett Gardner getting the day off. Derek Jeter is the designated hitter as Martin Prado and Mark Teixeira follow. Carlos Beltran makes an appearance in right field as Chase Headley remains at third and Zelous Wheeler starts in left field, promising a very interesting outfield. Brendan Ryan is actually allowed to play again as he gets his first start since August 24 at shortstop today and John Ryan Murphy gives Brian McCann the day off behind the plate.

David Phelpspitched a 35-pitch bullpen last night and came out looking just fine. The next step will be for him to pitch a simulated game on Sunday before he can return to the major league team. While the plan was originally to move Phelps to the bullpen upon his return and keep Chris Capuano in the rotation, the lefty has pitched to a 5.32 ERA in his last four starts. While Phelps is not necessarily a clear upgrade, maybe it's time to try something new if the Yankees want a real chance at making the playoffs.

Masahiro Tanakapitched a bullpen of his own today. He felt much better after throwing 34 pitches, feeling none of the fatigue he felt in his arm just last week. He still hopes to pitch again for the Yankees this season and a return to the mound would be both a large boon for their playoff hopes and a good way to gauge their ace's health going into 2015.

Francisco Cervelli is apparently suffering from migraines, however Joe Girardi states that the headaches are not concussion-related in nature. That's a good sign for both the Yankees and their backup catcher, so hopefully he can recover and return relatively soon.

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $18,000 Fantasy Baseball league for tonight's MLB games. It's $2 to join and first prize is $2,000. Jump in now. Here's the FanDuel link.

This will make you all feel so much better. Promise.

Hi, baseball fans. The Yankees season isn't going too well, but maybe football will help you feel better (I can't believe I'm saying this). Madden 15 now has its very own gif-making website known as the GIFERATOR. I played around a bit and came up with a few ways to make the bad a little more tolerable. Maybe even a bit enjoyable? Maybe?

Derek Jeter has struggled to get his on base percentage over the .300 mark all season, but he's finally done it!

As bad as Ichiro Suzuki has been, he's somehow managed to make it into nearly 90% of the team's games this year.

Remember when Masahiro Tanaka was leading the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year races? I don't either!

If you're worried about a 39-year-old third baseman, just think about a 42-year-old third baseman.

CC Sabathia was once one of the top pitchers in the league and now everything has fallen apart far too quickly.

Brett Gardner was awesome in the first half of the season...now not so much.

Play around with it yourselves and make us all feel better.

The pitcher with the AL's third-lowest ERA may be out for the stretch run after Kansas City's Danny Duffy left Saturday's game after just one pitch.

The Kansas City Royals may be without one of their best young arms for the foreseeable future after left-handed pitcher Danny Duffy left Saturday afternoon's game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium after just one pitch. The Royals said the southpaw had left shoulder soreness.

Following a first pitch two-seam fastball down-and-in on Jacoby Ellsbury, the young pitcher -- who missed significant portions of the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery -- grimaced before walking to the back of the mound and signaling towards third baseman Mike Moustakas. Duffy had been terrific in 22 starts after beginning the season in the bullpen, and came into the game with a 2.42 ERA, the third-best in the AL behind Chris Sale and Felix Hernandez.

According to the Kansas City Star's Lee Judge, Duffy may have arrived in the Bronx with this issue, as "video of Duffy in warm-ups showed him shaking his arm after each throw." While there is no prognosis from the team, Duffy's teammate Billy Butler's actions -- "shaking his head and pointing to his shoulder", according to the Star's Andy McCullough -- suggest the injury may keep Duffy out during the most important time of the season.

With the Royals attempting to hold off the Tigers for the AL Central lead, losing their best pitcher would obviously do serious damage to their chances. Duffy was replaced by righthander Liam Hendriks, who would likely take his place in the rotation if necessary.

McCarthy + offense = win.

After yesterday's game, I thought things couldn't get worse for the Yankees. And while they may at some point, today was not that day. The Yankees started the scoring early and for once kept adding runs. And they made sure not to waste another excellent outing from Brandon McCarthy. The Yankees' starter allowed two runs in 6.2 innings as the Yankees came away with a 6-2 win over the Royals.

After McCarthy threw a scoreless inning in the first, Danny Duffy took the mound for the Royals in the bottom half of the inning. After the first pitch he threw, several Royals immediately gestured to the dugout and the trainers came out and Duffy was removed from the game. Whatever it was, it didn't look good. As unfortunate as the situation is, the Yankees were able to take advantage against new Royals' pitcher Liam Hendriks. With two outs in the first, Martin Prado kept the inning alive with a double. Mark Teixeira followed that up with a single to give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead.

The Royals would get that run back in the top of the third. Mike Moustakas led off the inning with a single. McCarthy got the next two outs, but Omar Infante would keep the inning alive with a single. That brought Alex Gordon to the plate. Gordon hit one towards Jacoby Ellsbury at second. Ellsbury nearly made a sliding catch, but just couldn't come up with the ball. Ellsbury quickly got up and made a nice throw to get Infante who was trying to advance to third. A run scored on the play, but the Yankees got out of that bit of a jam with the game tied.

In the bottom half of the third, the Yankees retook the lead. John Ryan Murphy led off the inning with a single. Ellsbury followed that with a triple to center. That scored Murphy and gave the Yankees the lead again. Derek Jeter then flied out to right-center, but it was deep enough for Ellsbury to tag up and score.

An inning later, the Yankees added even more thanks to some Royals' derp. Chase Headley led off the inning with a single. After Zelous Wheeler struck out, Brendan Ryan grounded out, moving Headley to second. Murphy then lined one back up the middle. It appeared to deflect off Hendriks' hand and go to Infante at second. Infante's throw to first was late, Murphy to reach on a single and Headley to move to third. On the first pitch of the next at bat, Salvador Perez attempted to snap throw to third to pick off Headley, but the throw was way too high. That allowed Headley to score and made it 4-1.

And then in the fifth: more runs! Prado got things going with a one-out double. After Teixeira struck out, Carlos Beltran doubled to score Prado. Chase Headley then drew a walk, bringing a pinch-hitting Ichiro Suzuki to the plate. Ichiro singled, scoring Beltran and making it 6-1.

A few innings later, the Royals got one of those runs back. Josh Willingham led off the top of the seventh with a double. Carlos Peguero then grounded out, but that moved Willingham over to third. A Moustakas sac fly brought a run home and brought McCarthy's day to an end. It was another nice outing for him. He went 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four. Shawn Kelley came in and got the last out of the seventh inning. Dellin Betances would pitch a 1-2-3 eighth inning, which included one strike out.

After the Yankees couldn't add to their lead in the eighth, David Robertson came in for the ninth. Robertson had no trouble. He threw a 1-2-3 innings and finished off a 6-2 win for the Yankees.

The Yankees and Royals will finish up their series tomorrow 1:05 eastern. Or at least that's what time it's supposed to start. It probably won't due to tomorrow being Derek Jeter Day. I would expect to feel a lot of feelings tomorrow. Shane Greene and Yordano Ventura will be the starting pitchers.

Box score.

MLB.com | Jamal Collier:Derek Jeter will try to ignore the pressure of Derek Jeter Day.

New York Daily News | Andy Martino: The Royals might be the better team right now, but the Yankees are still the preferred organization longterm.

CBS Sports | Mike Axisa:Masahiro Tanaka is feeling much better after his latest bullpen session.

Just A Bit Outside | Gabe Kapler:Martin Prado is one of the most dominant bats in the game when it comes to facing left-handed pitching.

The Greedy Pinstripes | Daniel Burch: Maybe it's a good idea to sign Nelson Cruz this offseason to serve as the team's designated hitter.

MLB.com | Jamal Collier: Dellin Betances is closing in on Mariano Rivera's single-season strikeout record.

CBS Sports | Mike Axisa: Yankees outfield prospect Aaron Judge had one of the best seasons in the minors this year.

Masahiro Tanaka completed a bullpen session and thinks he's past the arm fatigue; Gardner's been having lower abdominal pain.

There is some good news on the injury front: Masahiro Tanakasuccessfully completed a bullpen session yesterday. He was temporarily shut down with arm fatigue last week, but he believes that he's moved past it. After throwing 34 pitches yesterday, Tanaka said that his arm felt stronger. The Yankees also continue to sound optimistic that we will see him pitch in a few games before the season ends. Obviously they want to see if the plasma injection and rehab have healed his arm enough to avoid surgery, and the sooner the better. Yet, when asked about the idea of creating games in October for Tanaka to pitch in, Joe Girardi said "I guess that would be possible...but our belief is that he'll be in games with us." Considering that Tanaka was the ace of the pitching staff prior to the injury (and hopefully will remain so next season), it would be great to see him return and help the team, even though the Yankees main problem hasn't been pitching.

During Friday night's game, the Yankees' booth discussed whether Brett Gardner seemed injured when he was running to second base after his double. As it turns out, Gardner was held out of yesterday's lineup because of an injury. He's been experiencing lower abdominal pain, which is a flare up of the same thing that he experienced several months ago when he was sidelined during the series against Cleveland. After receiving treatment yesterday, Gardner sounded hopeful that he would be able to play today. The team isn't planning on running any tests on him, which hopefully means that it's a minor issue. They can't afford to lose Gardner if they're going to make a serious push for the playoffs.

There's a game on today. It's important that the Yankees win it. It's also Derek Jeter Day in the Bronx. Expect feels.

Comment of the Game

Another COTG victory for LTL, as he perfected Matt F's little diddy about Jacob Lindgren &Brandon Finnegan

Best GIF of the Recap

Yesterday's BGOTR was a sloth strumming a banjo, posted by the GIF Sergeant himself. BlackandGoldTSgt is our winner once again.

Honorable Mod Mention

Matt F wins. Hands down. Not even a contest. Go home other mods.

Best Comments of the Day

It was a light day yesterday, as per usual for the weekend. So no COTD winners. Perhaps today will see better comment results, due to it being Derek Jeter day.

Fun Questions

• If you were holding a goodbye celebration for Derek Jeter, what would you get him?
• Be honest, are you prepared for the feels?

Pitching this well with Yankees Stadium as your home park is going to get you attention from more than just your current team.

Brandon McCarthy has been nothing short of excellent in his 70+ innings since coming over in a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Obviously, as far as this season is concerned, acquiring a pitcher for practically nothing and having him pitch to an ERA under three is nothing but a positive. And it's not some fluky or fortunate run of success: his FIP is under three as well, and he's already fifth on the team in pitching fWAR despite having only joined the team in July. Another positive is that McCarthy has said that he likes playing for the Yankees and would be open to a return engagement. That's all well and good, but McCarthy's success is putting him among the best free agent options for teams in need of pitching in 2015.

The free agent class is obviously headed by frontline talent like Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields. But not everybody is going to be in the market for a Ferrari, and even those that are might need another quality car in addition to that. For those not looking to have to give a pitcher a deal that goes for five years or more there's a couple of options, but I think McCarthy profiles as well or better than most of them. Jake Peavy has had similar success after his being traded, but he's a few years older and doing his good work in the National League. Jason Hammel has overcome his hiccups initially with the Oakland Athletics to get back to pitching decently, but his FIP for the season is now over four. Francisco Liriano, and Ervin Santana can all count themselves amongst that "second tier" of pitchers available in 2015.

Problem is I don't think any of those options are more appealing to a team than McCarthy. Forward-thinking front offices are very likely going to look at McCarthy's struggles in Arizona as more of an aberration than an indication of him being a risky proposition. A fastball that consistently sits at 93 miles an hour with plus command and a nasty cutter? Even less statistical-savvy teams would want a pitcher with a profile like that.

I would suspect the biggest competition will come from the Boston Red Sox. A conservative estimate is that the Red Sox will need to acquire three pitchers in the offseason if they want to make a run at the division title next year. Acquiring McCarthy and proving that his stuff can play in the AL East only to lose him in the end to a hated rival would be a difficult pill to swallow. But it can't be helped when a player raises his stock with your team as much as McCarthy has.

In the end, the Yankees will be a team desperately in need of hitting that will be able to add the most talent by signing pitchers. When the patchwork pitching staff has been this good that might seem like an illogical allocation of funds, but you can't force the market fit your needs. Ideally Brandon McCarthy will be a part of their spending spree, but if his demands start getting into a fourth year bringing back a good pitcher and his delightful wife might be less than sound. Regardless, it's been a hell of a third of a season he's put forth.

Today is Derek Jeter Day at Yankee Stadium and the Yankees need a win today.

The Derek Jeter Day lineup: Ellsbury 8 Jeter 6 Prado 4 Beltran 9 McCann 2 Teixeira 3 Drew DH Headley 5 Ichiro 7 Greene 1

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) September 7, 2014

The Derek Jeter Day lineup obviously has Derek Jeter at shortstop and batting second. Obviously. Jacoby Ellsbury is the leadoff hitter with Brett Gardner still out. Martin Prado is at second, Carlos Beltran is in right field again and Brian McCann is back out behind the plate. Mark Teixeira is moved aaaaaaaall the way down to sixth in the lineup and he's hitting right in front of actual designated hitter Stephen Drew. Yes. Chase Headley and left fielder Ichiro Suzuki round out the order.

David Phelpsthrew a 31-pitch simulated game today and he got through it alive. The Yankees will assess his progress and determine the next course of action as he seems destined to return as a member of the bullpen.

Brett Gardner has been experiencing pain in his lower abdominal area and will not be available off the bench today. The injury seems to be a reoccurrence of something he felt while the team was in Cleveland. They have yet to determine what exactly the problem is, but my fear is that it could end up something serious.

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $18,000 Fantasy Baseball league for tonight's MLB games. It's $2 to join and first prize is $2,000. Jump in now. Here's the FanDuel link.

Not the most visually appealing win for Kansas City, but it still counts.

The Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees did not exactly play inspired baseball on Sunday, but the Royals managed not play as terrible as the Yankees did, winning 2-0 at Yankee Stadium.

Both of Kansas City's runs were unearned. The first run came in the top of the second. Josh Willingham and Mike Moustakas led off the inning with consecutive singles, but Shane Greene retired Alcides Escobar and Jarrod Dyson, bringing Norichika Aoki to the plate with two outs. Aoki hit a dribbler up the first base line, perfectly positioned for an infield single. Greene fielded the ball, and instead of simply picking it up and moving on to the next batter, made an ill-advised throw to first. Greene uncorked a wild throw, which ended up in right field, allowing Willinham to score.

Alex Gordon led off the third inning with what should have been a flyout, but Carlos Beltran commited an error instead, putting Gordon on first. Danger Ox swiped second base, and Eric Hosmer drove him in with a single to right. Gordon could have been thrown out on the play; he stumbled rounding third and was easily beaten by the throw, but Brian McCann focused on Hosmer instead, firing the ball to second base, catching Homser in a rundown. The Yankees ended up getting Hosmer out, but it was a strange play.

The Royals forced Greene to throw a lot of pitches, but didn't capitalize  any other opportunities. Still, two runs proved to be enough against a putrid Yankees effort.

New York had a runner reach base against Yordano Ventura in five of the six innings he pitched, but couldn't advance any runner past second base. There were a few loud outs for the Yankee, but they collected zero extra base hits and couldn't take advantage of Ventura's questionable command.

Ventura didn't look terrible by any means, he did shutoutot New York for six innings, only allowing three hits. He walked four and only struck out two, and had to labor through most innings. His pure stuff helped him out; New York just couldn't quite catch up to his fastball or drive his breaking ball.

Aaron Crow pitched a scoreless seventh inning, even inducing a groundball double-play with an inhereited runner on first. Kelvin Herrera worked a spotless eighth, giving way for Wade Davisi n the ninth.

Davis surrendered a leadoff single to Beltran, but retired the next three hitters to earn his second save of the year.

The Royals are now 79-62 on the season, and will either be two games or three games up on the Detroit Tigers when they travel to Comerica Park on Monday. Jeremie Guthrie will start for Kansas City, facing off against Justin Verlander. This will be a huge series, so get excited.

Also, make sure to congratulate Minda.