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Pinstripe Alley Podcast Episode 13: The trade market and the rebuilding process

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If the Yankees had lost last night, we might have had to start discussing "The Curse of the Podcast" since they had not won since we recorded our first episode. Fortunately, that was not the case, but we still had plenty of material to discuss. David Adams makes us sad. The podcast runs 43 minutes, 33 seconds.

[0:47] Monday's Twins/Yankees game

[4:12] CC's struggles

[6:43] Zoilo talk

[8:31] Concerns over Andy Pettitte

[10:14] Dellin for bullpen?!

[11:45] Hitting in June

[13:26] "Tweetbag" questions

[17:08] Underestimating the rebuilding process

[26:56] Business problem: plugging holes, not securing extensions

[30:28] Trade season!

[37:00] Criticizing other GMs

[39:51] Considering the best and worst of Cashman

Podcast link

Sound off in the comments if you have any questions you'd like us to answer for next time, or if you have any feedback on the podcast! As Greg said, you can send your tweets to the Tweetbag by tweeting @pinstripebible, too.

More from Pinstriped Bible


MLB Roundtable: Does baseball need to be a national-interest sport?

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It's the peak of the baseball season, according to people that think important things about sports. The reasoning goes like this: The NFL is still weeks away from starting the ever-interesting pre-season where we can watch starters play a down; the NBA is over, finally (finally!); and the NHL is also over, for both of you that watch it, and well, nothing else is on.

EVERYONE, BASEBALL'S PEAK IS NOW BECAUSE THERE'S NO OTHER TIME!

Wait: That's obviously nonsense, since the peak of every sport's season is its playoffs and postseason play. The problem, according to Steve LePore of SB Nation, is that Major League Baseball's ratings are down in a big way. Couple this with attendance going down and it's hard not to wonder, isbaseball dying? Or at least unwell?

Some reasons LePore offers are smart. He cites the lack of big-market matchups, baseball fans becoming more tribal, ratings dropping in New York (thanks, Yankees!), over-saturation, Saturday TV sucks, Sunday TV rules, people are sick of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry being pushed on them, and perhaps most salient, baseball doesn't have must-win games during the season (at least until September).

All of that adds up to the question posed to our roundtable today. Rob Neyer and Grant Brisbee from Baseball Nation and Steven Goldman from sbnation.com/MLB joined me to try and answer...

Does baseball need to be a national-interest sport?

(The following transcript has been edited for clarity.)

It all started when I noticed a nice re-tweet from our friend Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk:

Bopp: I like LePore's last theory the most. There are no MUST-WIN games.

Goldman: MLB has always done a lame job of advertising itself. The only time you see commercials for baseball is during baseball games -- Hello, I'm already watching. I've always wondered why somewhere in the fourth quarter of the Superbowl you don't see an ad with Derek Jeter or Miguel Cabrera or whoever the exciting guy of the moment is saying, "Now it's our turn." Or to put it another way, TBS works a lot harder to get people to watch reruns of "The Big Bang Theory" than MLB does to get them to watch games.

Bopp: It's cheaper for TBS to pimp TBBT on their own network (or other Turner networks).

Bopp: Baseball keeps making more and more money, so I'm guessing they know what they're doing regardless of the ratings.

Goldman: Yeah, but I think they've successfully decoupled TV revenue from popularity, Justin. If a la carte pricing ever came to cable, you'd see the value of those regional sports networks plummet so hard you'd get whiplash.

Neyer: I think it's just that baseball is a local sport. A very, very, very profitable local sport.

Bopp: ...and that explains why it's hard to get baseball to take in places like Miami, never mind Loria.

20120414_pjc_su8_080Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Goldman: The point I was trying to make is that you can get $1B for an RSN without promising anyone is going to watch it because you put it on the basic cable tier, charge viewers $3 or so whether they're going to watch it or not, and they don't really see that broken out in their cable bill so they don't even realize they're paying for it. Thus does every Mets fan in the NY metro area pay for YES without ever watching it and every Yankees fan for SNY, likewise.

Bopp: I think Rob's point makes sense. It's a big local/tribal show now. I don't know if I agree that profitability should be decoupled from popularity, though.

Goldman: It shouldn't, but I think it has been.

Bopp: Seems like the bigger concern should be that both attendance AND ratings are down. Profitability going up could just be a microcosm of social factors. (see: 1%'ers).

Bopp: Does it need to be fixed? I'm not sure better marketing is the answer.

Neyer: In the long term, attendance/ratings and profitability will come together. In the short term, MLB can obviously boost the latter with higher ticket prices, marketing deals, and huge RSN rights fees. So huge, in fact, that attendance might become an afterthought.

Bopp: LePore's story neglects to mention local blackouts, which suck.

Neyer: What nobody knows is this: Can you build your brand without anybody coming to see the games live? I read a short story years ago in which the ballparks were simply massive TV studios, with no fans involved at all.

Goldman: I've seen that argument made, though my understanding is that there has to be a ceiling on RSN rights fees, because they, along with ESPN, are eating an ever-larger chunk of the cable bill. At some point you can only pass on so much to the consumer.

Brisbee: I don't know if attendance will ever be an afterthought. 81x40,000x(tickets+concessions) is still a big chunk of revenue.

Bopp: Well that, and eventually cable networks will need ratings to justify extending those RSN contracts.

Goldman: I've seen that argument made re the Yankees, that they could simply do without attendance, but my understanding is that those arguments are naive for the reasons that Grant just pointed out -- that you add up ticket/beer/hot dog/foam finger and it's a pretty big chunk of change.

Bopp: I will say watching games in an empty stadium (both on TV and in person) is really unnerving.

167943224Bob Levey

Goldman: I used to like watching the Braves games on TBS in the 1980s because the park was so empty you could hear the players talking to each other. But that's not normally a good thing, no.

Bopp: You ever see late-season local NFL games when the local team is horrible (like the Chiefs)? Never mind the terrible product, it's just not fun. Which is all to say that we might already be seeing the short story Rob mentioned in practice. Massive, empty TV studios.

Goldman: That brings us full circle, because to enjoy those games, you have to be able to put aside your local interest and say, "I'm going to watch this game because the Patriots are in town." I used to do that with the Yankees 1989-1992. I'd say, "Randy Johnson is pitching against them tonight, so let's go." I went to a lot of dead Phillies games at the Vet for the same reason. But I guess that's not a thing for people anymore.

Bopp: You think shortening the season and expanding the playoffs is the way to go?

Brisbee: Wait, wait, wait, what are we trying to fix? The sport with record revenues?

Goldman: Maybe we're trying to make them sustainable. But then all the East Coast stadiums are going to be underwater in the next century, so hell, let's leave that to the next generation.

Bopp: I thought we agreed that revenues != popularity?

Brisbee: I'd amend that to revenues !=national interest.

Goldman: Well put.

Bopp: I think that's fair.

Brisbee: But at a regional level, popularity isn't an issue.

Bopp: What's the issue then?!

Brisbee: The Giants have three of the 50-best paid athletes in the world in their rotation. That might be indicative of a revenue bubble, but I'd wager it's more indicative of a team in a very healthy spot financially. If you want to watch half your team's games, you have to spend about 12 hours a week to do it.

Bopp: So watch a little here, watch a little there. Everybody does the same and it all adds up?

Goldman: The only real issue isn't for us as fans, but probably is for the teams and players -- that if the rising level of RSN dollars is fueling increased salaries and that's a bit of a bubble, eventually those dollars will come back out of the game. But given the length of the deals, that may not be anytime soon.

Brisbee: That's a huge chunk of your allotted entertainment time. The last thing you're going to watch is a Cardinals/Braves tilt on Fox with your Saturday.

Goldman: LePore's point about Sundays is a good one. I love baseball, but "Game of Thrones"/"Mad Men" etc can be more tempting.

Bopp: It's worth noting that even our guest tweeters for @SBNationMLB (
Neyer: Huh. I love "Game of Thrones" (almost) as much as anyone, but I don't feel compelled to watch it live. I recorded that (and "Mad Men," and "Veep," and "Family Tree") while watching Sunday Night Baseball. But then, I'm a professional!

Goldman: You can watch baseball the other six nights of the week and all day Sunday and still be a professional, right? All work and no play...

Brisbee: I spread out my one episode of Mad Men for a couple days. That's my only time to relax, so I savor it. Remember to wear a condom, kids.

Neyer: National baseball games will always be a tough sell, for many reasons. The only thing we know is that enough people are watching for ESPN (and FOX) to pony up a pretty fair chunk of change every time the rights are available.

Bopp: There's the crux. Does baseball need to be a national-interest sport?

Brisbee: I don't see why it does. Basketball does if they want to keep the Oklahoma Citys and Memphi in the fold. Football certainly does. Baseball, not so much.

Bopp: In the background of all this: the NFL. Every game matters, fantasy football, national interest games, the draft, the playoffs, the Super Bowl.

Brisbee: I'd argue that it needs to be a regional sport even more. There are 81 dates to fill. Focusing on local interest is a happy circle.

Bopp: I say it does need to be a national-interest sport -- assuming ratings are the goal. If profits are the goal, MLB seems to have that well in hand. If better baseball is the goal, I'd say neither ratings nor profits are as important as attendance. Because baseball, like every sport where you're not supposed to whisper in the stands, is better when more people are watching with you.

Brisbee: Yeah, this is a problem for Fox, not baseball. Maybe they can make more animated baseball robots.

###

We'll give Grant the last word today. What do you think? Leave your thoughts below.

Yankees lineup vs. Twins, Derek Jeter injury update

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The Yankees finally won a game last night and the offense came alive (with a little help from the Twins), so let's hope they can keep it up for two days in a row.

Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki are at the top of the lineup again and Travis Hafner is batting cleanup because we're facing a righty. Robinson Cano is batting .480/.552/.880 over the last week, so he is on fire right now. Zoilo Almonte is batting high in the batting order at 5th after collecting three hits last night. Alberto Gonzalez is playing shortstop in place of Jayson Nix, who gets a rare day off. Good thing, since he's batted .143/.226/.321 in the last week.

The Yankees are hoping that Derek Jeter is now only a week behind Alex Rodriguez in his injury rehab. Jeter has starting taking batting practice and is running the bases, while A-Rod is set to start his first rehab game at Low-A Charleston tonight. A-Rod is lined up to be ready to return somewhere between late July and early August, so Jeter could return in August and give the Yankees a boost in their stretch for a playoff spot.

Mark Teixeira had season ending surgery on his wrist yesterday and will be healed in time for the 2014 season. The Yankees will need to acquire some kind of upgrade at first base Lyle Overbay and his .221/.264/.353 line over the last month is not going to cut it for a playoff contender.

Jayson Nix out of the Yankees lineup with a tight hamstring

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Jayson Nix is the latest player to fall victim to the injury bug that has plagued the 2013 Yankees all season. Nix has a sore hamstring that will keep him out of the lineup for at least a few games. Joe Girardi says that there are no plans to put Nix on the disabled list yet, and that no roster moves are in the works. While not placing another player on the DL sounds like a good thing, it actually presents a really big problem: the Yankees are now operating with a two-man bench.

With Adam Warren and Ivan Nova both on the roster as long relievers, the Yankees are left with Austin Romine and Vernon Wells as their only bench options now that Nix's injury has forced Alberto Gonzalez into the lineup for at least the next few days. Warren hasn't pitched in weeks and Girardi decided that Nova wouldn't be pitching in the series against the Twins after all. There is very little reason to keep both of them on the roster if they aren't going to be used when that position could go to any viable bench bat from Triple-A. The Yankees have backed themselves into a corner with no options to pinch hit for players who are really only serviceable against one handedness of pitcher and don't plan on making a move unless Nix actually needs to go to the DL.

The injury doesn't seem severe and rest will likely take care of it, but it could be an ugly couple of days for depth until Nix can return. Not that the depth was anything to write home about before, because it wasn't, but now it's somehow even worse. Hopefully the news that Derek Jeter is hopefully only a week behindAlex Rodriguez is true. The Yankees really need it to be.

Homer Bailey's second no-hitter opens the door

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When Gregor Blanco cued the last pitch of Homer Bailey's no-hitter to third baseman Todd Frazier on Tuesday night, I wondered what Frazier was thinking. I've never forgotten Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles' account of the ending of the famous (or infamous, depending on your rooting interest) 1978 playoff game with the Boston Red Sox to decide the fate of the American League East. The Yankees were up 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth at Fenway park, two out and two on, Goose Gossage on the mound and Carl Yastrzemski at the plate. Whatever happened next was going to be historic. Nettles said he was thinking, "Pop it up, pop it up." Yaz obliged, hitting an infield pop-up - over third base. "Not to me!" Nettles screamed inwardly. He gloved the ball, sending his team on to the League Championship Series.

For credibly crimson reactions join our Reds community, Red Reporter

Frazier had a harder play, even if Blanco had hit what should probably be classified as a routine grounder -- a lot can go wrong between the 5 and the 3 in a 5-3 putout. Frazier did complete the play -- whether he was inwardly screaming, "Not to me!" or not -- and Bailey had defeated the San Francisco Giants for the second no-hitter of his career. It's easy to feel jaded about no-hitters: They're relatively common, and now that we think of balls in play as something over which the pitcher does not exercise a great deal of control (just how much can be controversial), you can dismiss quite a few of them as less an example of a masterful performance than of a game where 27 batters just happened to hit ‘em where they are (or were) instead of where they ain't (or wasn't).

If you were initially inclined to be awed, the parade of no-name no-hit pitchers will quickly disillusion you, for mixed in with the Nolan Ryan Collection and the Sandy Koufax Quartet are no-hit games by (choosing at random) little-remembered hurlers like Tom Phoebus, George Culver, Mike Warren, and Juan Nieves. Heck, even Jack Morris threw one, even though he was assiduously pitching to the score at the time.

When a pitcher starts getting into multiple no-hitters, as Bailey has, he's entering more rarified company, rubbing elbows not only with the aforementioned Ryan and Koufax, but high-level contemporaries like Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander, and Mark Buehrle, as well as Cooperstown types like Randy Johnson, Jim Bunning, Bob Feller, Christy Mathewson, and Cy Young. Sure, the multiple no-hitters list isn't totally dominated by guys with plaques -- pitchers like Allie Reynolds, Virgil Trucks, Bob Forsch, and Carl Erskine didn't have all-time great careers, they were just very good pitchers for a period of time.

Whether Bailey belongs to the former group or the latter has yet to be determined. Having selected him with the seventh-overall pick of the 2004 draft, the Reds spent more than five years giving Bailey major-league auditions and hoping for consistency. They didn't get it until roughly the midway point of last season, when Bailey settled in for a strong second half climaxed by his September 28 no-hitter against a Pittsburgh lineup so weak that it brings to mind the Bob Dylan composition "I'm Not There."

Pitchers face weak lineups all the time and vanishingly few of them throw no-hitters, so we can't discount Bailey's performance except as a sign of his arrival as the ace the Reds always thought he could be. Like most of us, Bailey is forever becoming, always an unfinished product. He has had his share of shaky moments this season -- his quality start percentage (the fraction of starts in which he's pitched at least six innings and allowed fewer than four earned runs) was 63 percent entering Tuesday night, good for 26th in the National League, 48th in the majors. So maybe he's arrived again, maybe he'll be arriving again sometime in the future. "Okay, he's really here now. No, wait, this is really him. No, this time." If the engine of a train hauling an infinite number of cars pulls into the station, can it truly be said to have arrived?

The wonderful thing about Bailey's second no-hitter is that it requires us to ask questions like this, and to keep asking them, start by start, for the rest of his career. Yes, he'll be burdened by high expectations, but he provoked them with excellent performances. It will be a lot for him to live up to, but also no less than he deserves, a kind of respect that few pitchers have earned.

More from SB Nation:

O's acquire Scott Feldman from Cubs

Why do baseball ratings continue to trend downward?

Stephen Strasburg on prospect hype

A new Yankees strikeout king

MLB trade rumors | MLB Daily Dish

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 7/3/13

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Yesterday on Pinstriped Bible

Around the Internet

Quick Hits

  • The Yankees could go $700K over slot in order to sign Aaron Judge without losing a future pick.
  • Yankees draftees Drew Bridges and Shane McCarley are still in play to sign with the Yankees.
  • Yankees 36th round pick Nestor Cortes is currently pitching for the Florida Legends in a CMWS qualifier.
  • Kyle Roller had to be helped off the field after injuring his ankle in Trenton.

Questions of the Day

  • Who is the weirdest looking player in baseball?
  • If Hiroki Kuroda needs to miss time who should fill in for him?
  • Can you whistles?
  • What tv show character best personifies you?

Coming Up Today

  • Baby Bomber Recap 7/1/13: Five homers power RailRiders past Red Sox @ 9 am
  • Zoilo Almonte: Something special or a random hot streak? @ 12 pm
  • What are the residual effects of CC's lesser fastball? @ 1 pm
  • Andy Pettitte's methodical advance through the Yankee record book @ 3 pm
  • New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins at 8:10 pm (Game Thread at 7:30 pm)

MLB Bullets Is Close To Perfection

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Most of the news over the past couple days involves the Cubs, and I generally leave that to others. We had several front page stories about the Cubs, the trades and the international signings. More will come, as the Cubs apparently came to terms with Eloy Jimenez late last night.

Also, be sure to check out the fanshot on the "Merkle Boner" from Monday night. If you're anything like me, your life revolves to an unhealthy amount around the 1908 National League Pennant Race. So to see James Baldwin possessed by the Ghost of Johnny Evers brought a smile to my face.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. I hope that's because my daughter won't be throwing up everything she eats. Sick children are the worst.

Around the bases: Tuesday's scores and highlights

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Here are your MLB scores and highlights from an exciting first Tuesday in July:

Reds 3, Giants 0:Homer Bailey threw a no-hitter and has now recorded baseball's last two no-no's. The last guy to have that distinction was Nolan Ryan in 1975. Bailey struck out nine Giants and was perfect until he walked Gregor Blanco to start the seventh inning. That was the only baserunner Bailey would allow during his magical performance, which garnered a game score of 95.

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Dodgers 8, Rockies 0:Yasiel Puig went 3-for-5 and hit his eighth home run of the year, but Clayton Kershaw's complete-game shutout was the most impressive performance in this game. Kershaw allowed just four hits and ended Michael Cuddyer's 27-game hitting streak en route to conquering Coors Field. The Dodgers are now just two-and-a-half games out of first place in the NL West. You know times are good in L.A. when you don't get penalized for doing this:

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Mets 9, Diamondbacks 1: New York handed Patrick Corbin his first loss of the season by scoring seven runs in the seventh inning. The Diamondbacks are now 2-8 in their last ten games, but they're still clinging to first place thanks to all of the other teams in the division not named the Dodgers combining for a 5-21 record over the past ten days (hat-tip to Eric Stephen).

Rays 8, Astros 0:David Price struck out ten batters and allowed just three hits in seven innings of work in his return from the disabled list. Desmond Jennings had three hits, including a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and drove in four runs.

Tigers 7, Blue Jays 6:Torii Hunter capped off a four-hit day with a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning. Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in three before leaving the game in the ninth inning with back stiffness. The injury isn't considered serious and the reigning AL MVP should be ready to play on Wednesday, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.

Phillies 3, Pirates 1: Pittsburgh's nine-game winning streak was snapped thanks to the 4-5-6 hitters in Philadelphia's order, which combined for five hits and three RBIs. The Phillies used seven pitchers to preserve Jonathan Pettibone's win. Pettibone allowed a run on three hits while striking out six batters in 5 ⅔ innings.

Athletics 8, Cubs 7: Derek Norris hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the A's sole possession of first place in the AL West. Oakland also got deep flies from Josh Donaldson and Chris Young. Alfonso Soriano hit a three-run homer as part of the Cubs' five-run fourth inning.

Red Sox 4, Padres 1:John Lackey continued his resurgence, lasting eight innings and allowing a run on six hits. He struck out six and lowered his ERA to 2.81. The Red Sox scored three times in the bottom of the fourth inning to provide Lackey with all the run support he would need.

Braves 11, Marlins 3:Justin Upton, Brian McCann and Chris Johnson had three hits apiece for the Braves, who racked up a total of 16 hits against Miami pitching. First-place Atlanta has won four straight games, and six of its last seven, to climb to 15 games over .500.

Yankees 7, Twins 3:Robinson Cano hit his 20th homer of the season, a three-run shot in the seventh inning, to break the game open. Phil Hughes lasted seven innings and allowed a run on six hits to pick up the win. Mariano Rivera earned the save, his 27th of the year.

Indians 6, Royals 5:Alex Gordon hit a game-tying grand slam off of Corey Kluber in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Tribe answered with two runs in the seventh to win their fifth consecutive game. Nick Swisher finished with three hits and Carlos Santana drew three walks and collected a pair of RBIs.

White Sox 5, Orioles 3:Adam Dunn hit his 22nd homer of the year, a two-run shot off of Jason Hammel in the seventh inning, and Conor Gillaspie added a long ball to power Chicago to a win over the O's. John Danks allowed a pair of runs on six hits in seven innings, picking up just his second win of the year.

Mariners 9, Rangers 2: Kendrys Morales homered twice and drove in six runs and 41-year-old Raul Ibanez hit his 20th home run of the year. Joe Saunders limited the Rangers to two runs -- one earned -- in 6 ⅔ innings despite scattering ten hits.

Brewers 4, Nationals 0: Milwaukee scored all four of its runs in the eighth inning, the first two of which came on a double by Juan Francisco to break a scoreless tie. Stephen Strasburg exited after seven shutout innings. He allowed three hits and four walks and struck out eight.

Angels 5, Cardinals 1: The Angels scored five times in the second inning and Jered Weaver kept St. Louis off-balance for seven frames, allowing a run on six hits while racking up five strikeouts. Howie Kendrick led the Angels with three hits. Albert Pujols went 0-for-3 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts against his former team.


Baby Bomber Recap 7/2/13: Five homers power RailRiders past Red Sox

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Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 6-4 vs. Pawtucket Red Sox

LF Corey Patterson 2-4, 2B, BB, K
C JR Murphy 0-4, K, HBP
RF Fernando Martinez 0-4, 2 K, HBP
DH Randy Ruiz 1-5, HR, RBI, 2 K - batting .375/.390/.675 over his last 10 games
1B Dan Johnson 2-5, HR, RBI - 11th homer of the season
CF Adonis Garcia 1-5, HR, RBI, BB, K - first homer of the season
SS Brent Lillibridge 1-4, HR, RBI, HBP - fourth homer with SWB
3B Josh Bell 1-4, K
2B Addison Maruszak 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K - third homer of the season

Chris Bootcheck 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, pickoff - five groundouts, five flyout
Yoshinori Tateyama 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K
Josh Spence 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB
Jim Miller 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Dellin Betances 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

The RailRiders' offense is really clicking right now with five more homers to power them past the Red Sox. The days of Dellin Betances: shutdown reliever continue. Caleb Cotham starts for the RailRiders today at 6:15 pm.

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 1-4, L 6-7 (8 innings) vs. Portland Sea Dogs

Game One:

LF Ramon Flores 1-2, BB, SB, OF assist - fifth stolen base of the season
CF Slade Heathcott 2-3, 2B, RBI, K, 2 E8 - 12th double of the season
RF Tyler Austin 0-2, K, HBP
1B Andrew Clark 0-3, K
SS Carmen Angelini 0-3, 2 K
DH Kyle Roller 0-3, 3 K
3B Reegie Corona 1-3
2B Jose Pirela 1-3
C Francisco Arcia 0-3

Sean Black 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K - seven groundouts, three flyouts
Aaron Dott 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Trenton got out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Black gave up the lead in the bottom of the frame and the Thunder never recovered.

Game Two:

LF Ramon Flores 1-4, K
2B Reegie Corona 1-4, RBI, K
RF Tyler Austin 1-4, HR, RBI - sixth homer of the season, first since May 29th
DH Andrew Clark 2-4, 2B - batting .348 with the Thunder
SS Carmen Angelini 0-3, RBI, BB
1B Kyle Roller 0-1, RBI - had to be carried off the field after an ankle injury on the bases
CF Cody Grice 2-4, RBI, SB
3B Casey Stevenson 0-3, K, HBP
C Jeff Farnham 0-3, BB, K, E2 - pickoff error

Nik Turley 3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K - three groundouts, one flyout
Francisco Rondon 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, BB, 3 K, WP
Tom Kahnle 1 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Fred Lewis 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Thunder offense spotted Turley a 3-0 lead before he stepped on the mound. He immediately allowed two of those runs back to Portland and a three-run rally by the Sea Dogs put them on top. Trenton tied the game in the seventh to send the game to extra innings, but Portland walked it off in the eighth to sweep the doubleheader. Zach Nuding gets the start for the Thunder tonight at 7:00 pm.

High-A Tampa Yankees: Off

Dietrich Enns starts for Tampa tonight at 7:00 pm at Steinbrenner Field.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:W 4-2 vs. Rome Braves

SS Eduardo Nunez 2-3
SS Cito Culver 0-1
3B Alex Rodriguez 0-2, K - GIDP
1B Greg Bird 0-3, BB
DH Dante Bichette Jr. 1-4
2B Angelo Gumbs 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K - first homer with Charleston
CF Jake Cave 2-4 - batting .271 with Charleston
LF Kelvin De Leon 1-3, HR, RBI - fifth homer of the season
C Wes Wilson 0-3, K
RF Danny Oh 1-3, K, SB

Vicente Campos 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, K, pickoff - four groundouts, five flyouts
Brett Gerritse 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
James Pazos 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Ben Paullus 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Charleston broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run eighth inning and scored their 45th win of the season to put them 10 games over .500. Luis Niebla starts for Charleston tonight at 6:35 pm.

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:W 5-2 vs. Brooklyn Cyclones

2B Derek Toadvine 1-4, 2 K, SB, CS
3B Kale Sumner 1-3, BB, K - batting .340 this season
CF Brandon Thomas 1-3, RBI, BB, 2 K
RF Yeicok Calderon 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, K - fourth homer with SI this season
C Isaias Tejeda 1-3, 2B, 2 K, PB
SS Jose Rosario 1-3, RBI, E6 - throwing error
DH Daniel Lopez 0-3, K - batting .471 this season
1B Bubba Jones 0-3, 2 K
LF Mikeson Oliberto 0-3, K, E7 - missed catch

Giovanny Gallegos 5 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K - five groundouts, one flyout
Cale Coshow 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R/1 ER, BB, 5 K - four groundouts, zero flyouts
Sam Agnew-Wieland 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, K

Brooklyn out-hit Staten Island 11-6, but a three-run first inning by the Yankees helped them sustain a late rally by the Cyclones to hold on for their 8th win of the season.

Notes from the Gulf Coast League:

Gulf Coast Yankees 1 game was suspended in the fourth inning for rain.

Gulf Coast Yankees 2: W 3-2 vs. GCL Pirates

1B Renzo Martini 1-3, HR, RBI, 2 K - first homer of the season
C Luis Torrens 1-3, 2B - third double of the season

Jordan Cote 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - two groundouts, one flyout
Elvin Perez 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, BB, 4 K - three groundouts, one flyout

Prospect genesis: Catcher Luis Torrens

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Throughout the past several years, the New York Yankees' system has featured numerous catching prospects hoping to be the next great catcher for a franchise with a long tradition of All-Star backstops. Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, J.R. Murphy, Gary Sanchez, and even 2012 second round draft pick Peter O'Brien have cracked team lists of top prospects. The Yankees aren't quite through with the catching prospect game, either.

A year ago yesterday, the Yankees signed an international free agent who was only two weeks old when Mariano Rivera saved his first game. His name is Luis Torrens, and Baseball America ranked him the second-best international prospect prior to signing day. The Yankees tracked the native of Venezuela while he trained with their international scouting director, Carlos Rios. Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement rules that limited signing bonus, the Yankees inked Torrens for $1.3 million. He had previously been an infielder, but the Yankees felt that the six-foot, 171 pound kid could handle a switch to catcher. His impressive bat would be a superb asset for him at one of the infield positions, but at catcher, it makes him an even more valuable prospect.

As is the case with many international prospects, evaluations run the gamut. The day he was signed, one Latin America talent evaluator told the New York Post that Torrens was "the premier prospect in Latin America, better than Sanchez and Montero." That's some pretty heavy praise for someone who had never played catcher very much before in his life, as other scouts noted in the Post article. Another scout said that he seems like he will hit for high average instead of power, and that he was not worried about Torrens's development behind the plate since he is "a smart kid who will figure it out."

It's difficult to find much on Torrens's Venezuelan upbringing at the moment since information is so scant. However, one site user on the LoHud Yankees blog offered some insight last August. Take the words with a grain of salt since it is only coming from a random guy on the Internet, but I'm inclined to believe it given the detail:

About Luis Torrens... He was the SS for the Venezuelan team to the Panamerican games (2010). The ball explodes from his bat and he has a very advanced hitting approach, he has soft hands and a very strong arm. He was moved then to 3rd base and lately to the C position where he has the best chance to reach the bigs. He is from Valencia and comes from a very structured home, which bodes well character wise. He comes from the Eladio Aleman baseball academy and has represented his home state (Carabobo) 7 times and Venezuela 5 times (3 World little league championships and 2 Panamerican games).

Experts say that he has four plus tools, except speed. Very matured for his age and is expected to go to the GCL rookie league next season (that tells you how high the Yankees regard him as a prospect and how advanced he is). Before being signed by the Yankees he was playing in AA in Panama (mostly college players), and he was able to play regularly and even excel against much older competition (20-22 year olds). I am a big fan of him already.

Two more things… The Yankees think he will move fast through the minors and he is a Yankee fan!!

I'm sure the fact that the Yankees gave him over a million dollars assisted with his fandom. From his Twitter account, it's quite evident that the kid is a big Miguel Cabrera fan, which shouldn't be surprising since Cabrera is the pride of Venezuela. Amusingly, Torrens even participated in one of those silly contests in January where "x" amount of Miguel Cabrera retweets would lead to a prize for the 500th person. He's still a kid, and that's refreshing to see sometimes with prospects.

Scout.com's Minor League Analyst Mark Anderson ranked Torrens 14th on his preseason Yankees prospect list. Anderson echoed the other Post scout's reservations about comparing Torrens to Sanchez and Montero, but he agreed that his hitting would force people to take notice:

He is lauded for an excellent hitting approach for his age, good natural strength and bat speed and the ability to drive the ball to the gaps already. He could hit for a strong average, draw walks and have at least average power down the line.

Torrens was mostly off the radar after signing last July, as he spent time in the Yankees' Instructional League at the Tampa complex, then moved on to the Dominican Republic's Instructional League in the fall. Thanks to YouTube, fans got their first glimpses of Torrens's swing:

If you're interested in some more footage, Josh Norris also took a few batting practice videos of Torrens in March when he was at minor league spring training (Video 1, Video 2, Video 3). Possible confirmation bias aside, there's just something impressive about the way the balls sounds when it cracks off his bat in Norris's videos. Remember, the kid only turned 17 two months ago.

Torrens began his Rookie League season with the Yankees' second Gulf Coast League team. He has played eight games thus far, batting .310/.375/.552 with four doubles and a homer in 32 plate appearances. Behind the plate, he has shown off his strong arm by gunning down six of ten baserunners attempting steals against him, but he has allowed two passed balls already. For comparison's sake to previous 17-year-olds, Sanchez hit .326/.393/.543 with a 19% CS% and 14 passed balls in 47 games in the Gulf Coast League two years ago, and Montero hit .280/.366/.421 with a 9% CS% and four passed balls in 23 games six years ago. Sanchez did get to spend some time with short-season Staten Island that same year, so there's a chance Torrens might receive the opportunity to do the same.

Remember that eight games is an extremely small sample size with which to compare players and the Gulf Coast League can be deceiving (see Bichette, Dante), but Torrens has certainly offered reason to track his development simply through the scouts' high praise. Keep an eye on Torrens through Tanya's Baby Bomber Recaps as he continues his play in Rookie League this year--it's exciting to watch prospects grow from raw teenage talent to refined excellence. Hopefully the Yankees have another stellar catching prospect on the way.

More from Pinstriped Bible

Alex Rodriguez injury: Yankees 3B began rehab stint Tuesday

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New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez returned to game action Tuesday night for the first time since he was sidelined in the playoffs last October. A-Rod began his extended rehab assignment with the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs on Tuesday, going hitless in two at-bats while getting the start at the hot corner, reports Derek Diesner of MLB.com.

Wearing his customary No. 13 jersey, Rodriguez grounded into a 5-4-3 double play in his first at-bat, then struck out looking his next time up before being removed from the game. It wasn't the best of beginnings for A-Rod -- he also failed to make a play on a slow-rolling bunt down the line -- but the veteran slugger exclaimed that he was still "really excited" to get back on the field and that he "had a blast."

A-Rod, now closing in on 38, underwent an operation to repair a torn labrum and bone impingement in his left hip in January. The three-time MVP had a similar surgery on his right hip in 2009, but has never missed this much time due to an injury.

The Yankees have labored to get any kind of production out of their third basemen in Rodriguez's absence. Former Red SoxKevin Youkilis was supposed to fill the void left by A-Rod, but he has spent much of the season on the disabled list. As a result the club has had to rely on guys like Jayson Nix, David Adams, and Chris Nelson at the hot corner. Collectively, New York's third basemen are batting .230/.291/.316 with four long balls on the year -- their .607 OPS the lowest mark in the American League at the position.

A-Rod is no longer the MVP player he once was, but if he can come close to duplicating his 2012 numbers -- .272/.353/.430 with 18 home runs -- it would still be a huge upgrade for the Bombers.

Next on the agenda for Rodriguez is another start with Charleston Wednesday evening, then an off day Thursday before joining the Yankees' Double-A affiliate in Tampa for their weekend set. With the way things are going at the moment, it seems that A-Rod could rejoin the Yankees right after the All-Star Break, but that could change if something were to happen with the Biogenesis PED scandal, in which Rodriguez is heavily implicated.

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MLB trade rumors | MLB Daily Dish

If Yanks fade, Kuroda, not Hughes, is the prize

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The graduating class of 2013 has only witnessed one season in which the Yankees didn't reach the playoffs, but since they are currently in fourth place in the AL East, six games out of first place and 2.5 of the wild card, they could be on the verge of witnessing their second. Though the deficit isn't insurmountable, things seem to be trending in the wrong direction for the team, which went 11-16 in June and currently has only a 28.6 percent chance of making the playoffs. As they head towards the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline, the team will have to decide if it is a buyer or seller, and if the latter, who they should move.

It's no surprise that the Yankees aren't doing well; in fact, what's surprising is they've remained as competitive as they have given their injury woes. The mainstays of their roster, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Curtis Granderson have spent the bulk of the season on the disabled list. Without them, they've been forced to use replacement-level types like Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, and Travis Hafner, all of whom have had their moments but are now showing the weaknesses that led to their being available to the Yankees in the first place. Wells provided an offensive boost in April with an OPS over .900, but since then he's hit. .192/.213/.280 in 188 plate appearances. Like Wells, Hafner was hot in April, but has hit .174/.256/.313 in 160 PAs since. Overbay hit a solid .283/.326/.535 versus right-handed pitchers through the end of May, but went cold against them in June, hitting .191/.240/.319. It's hard to construct a plausible argument that any of these players will stage a strong recovery.

Unfortunately, there is no simple solution for sustaining the sort of offensive boost the Yankees need. A-Rod has begun playing in the minors. Jeter, Granderson, and Francisco Cervelli will all be back at some point, but their return might prove to be too little too late in the competitive AL East. The Yankees do have some offensive prospects in the high minors, but aside from Zoilo Almonte, who is probably playing over his head (.333/.370/.500 in 46 plate appearances) as Wells' replacement, and catcher J.R. Murphy, who has done well in Triple-A since his recent arrival (.305/.406/.492 in 69 PAs; .277/.366/.438 overall), help will probably not come from that direction any time soon. David Adams, brought up from the minors to provide a boost at third base, has been something of a disaster at .189/.250/.279 in 121 PAs.

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Though the Yankees have generally pitched well, it's hard to find a silver lining in such a damaged roster. Though it's premature to write them off, their position is fragile enough that it is reasonable to entertain scenarios in which they are sellers at the deadline. Should that come to pass, it seems obvious that the organization should focus on reloading, just in case this doomsday scenario of aging and injured stars repeats next season. Perhaps by that time prospects such as outfielders Tyler Austin, Slade Heathcott, and Mason Williams, as well as catcher Gary Sanchez, will be close enough to the bigs that the Yankees will have more depth with which to fill out their lineup card, but that still leaves enough positions potentially open that the club could use more in the way of ready talent.

But getting into a selling mindset can't be easy for an organization that's had such perpetual success for the past 18 seasons. Still, general manager Brian Cashman might be willing to part with some players to make the team stronger. The names that have come up the most often so far have been pitchers Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, both free agents after the season. While those fundamentally uneven pitchers may still be attractive change-of-scene candidates -- particularly Hughes, who is still just 27, retains good stuff, and has a 3.38 ERA away from Yankee Stadium this year (4.04 career versus 4.77 at home) -- the Yankees are sitting on one really attractive trade chip that could bring a bigger return, veteran right-hander Hiroki Kuroda.

This year, like most, the hottest commodity as the trade deadline approaches is starting pitching. The obvious sellers -- the Marlins, Cubs, and White Sox -- have already been fielding interest for Ricky Nolasco, Matt Garza, and Jake Peavy, respectively. In terms of present value, Kuroda compares favorably with all of them.

While Kuroda's raw talent might not be as good as some of the available pitchers this deadline (Peavy, for one, had a higher peak), he has a better idea what to do with it than most. He's a consistent pitcher with a strong track record, not overpowering, but he has above average command most of the time; though his fastball sits around 90 or 91 mph, he throws pitches how and where he wants them, inducing grounders and keeping the ball in the park. He's performed in both leagues and in the postseason.

His status as an imminent free agent will make him appealing to teams that need a short-term loaner. Many of the pitchers that might be available at the deadline-Cliff Lee, Yovanni Gallardo, Kyle Lohse, and Peavy among them-come with commitments lasting at least another year. Even if Kuroda's status as a short-timer cuts into the potential return on a trade, he should bring more than potential free agents Hughes and Chamberlain in that his value is actual, not speculative.

Patrick Smith

The biggest obstacle for a trade is any no-trade language attached to Kuroda's one-year, $15 million deal. He vetoed trades to the Tigers and Red Sox at the 2011 deadline and, at least at the time, was perceived to have an attachment to the West Coast. There are also some questions about his health. Before Sunday's start in Baltimore, he felt tightness in his left hip flexor. His MRI came back clean, but the Yankees decided to skip his start on Friday as a precaution. Kuroda hasn't been placed on the disabled list, and according to manager Joe Girardi, it's possible that he will be ready to start early next week. Obviously an injury is something that interested buyers would watch closely, but it doesn't necessarily mean he won't garner interest if it's minor. Peavy is currently on the disabled list with a rib injury, and he's still expected to be traded, just as he was when he was dealt to the White Sox in 2009.

Still, trading Kuroda isn't a decision that will be made lightly, as his departure from the rotation would be tantamount to conceding the season. C.C. Sabathia has shown a drop in velocity and has been a rollercoaster of outcomes this season. Phil Hughes had a good start against the Twins on Monday, but has fluctuated between average performances and tossing batting practice for the opposition. It's unclear how much productivity Andy Pettitte has left (a question that's asked every year). David Phelps has been just okay, which might be his ceiling.

Though the decision to move him will be unpopular with fans who have come to enjoy Kuroda's flinty effectiveness, moving him would be the right reaction for a team looking to rebound quickly from a difficult year. Again, it's still unclear whether or not the Yankees will be in a position to sell -- if they can stay close until the wounded return, and the recovered players subsequently perform at a high level, they'll still have a chance worth pursuing. But if they find themselves in the position where their chances of making the playoffs have diminished, there's value in recognizing that teams will overspend for the short-term gain of a seasoned pitcher.

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The circuitous paths of Homer, Tim and Phil

Papelbon: Puig's All-Star candidacy "an absolute joke"

MLB trade rumors | MLB Daily Dish

Jayson Nix to the disabled list with hamstring injury, Yankees sign Luis Cruz

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The Yankees have apparently signed Luis Cruz to a minor league deal, but the details are not very certain. It was believed he had signed with the team yesterday after refusing an assignment from the Dodgers and becoming a free agent, but then Cruz apparently denied he had signed with anyone. Now it looks like he's with the Yankees:

This signing seems to coincide with the report that Jayson Nix was suffering from a sore hamstring, leading him to sit during Tuesday night's game. The initial report was that it wasn't serious and he could be available if the Yankees needed him, then the story was drowned out by Hiroki Kuroda traveling to New York to have his hip examined and everyone forgot about it.

Now he's headed to the 15-day disabled list, diminishing the Yankee bench to two: Vernon Wells and Austin Romine. There is an open spot on the 40-man roster, so they may have signed Cruz to fill in for a few weeks until Eduardo Nunez can return. The Yankees have no internal options at this moment because Ronnier Mustelier and Corban Joseph (who is on the 40) are both on the disabled list, so Cruz is the next best thing.

On the season, Cruz has a .127/.175/.169 batting line (-7 wRC+) in 128 plate appearances after utterly failing as the Dodgers' starting third baseman. He was primarily a shortstop before this season and has seen time at second base as well. Enjoy!

UPDATE:

This is the same injury Giancarlo Stanton had that took him out for over a month. We can't get players off the DL without putting more back on. Nunez really needs to get back here just so people like Cruz and Alberto Gonzalez aren't starting games.

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Yankees lineup vs. Twins: Debut of Luis Cruz; Kelly Shoppach and Manny Ramirez sign elsewhere

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After Jayson Nix was placed on the disabled list with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, the Yankees went out and signed free agent Luis Cruz, who was recently released by the Dodgers. He replaces one of last night's heros, Alberto Gonzalez, in tonight's starting lineup.

No Yankees have ever faced tonight's starter for the Twins, P.J. Walters. In seven starts this season, Minnesota's right-hander is 2-4 with a 6.03 ERA. CC Sabathia is coming off back-to-back seven-inning starts where he gave up five runs and four runs, respectively, to the Rays and Orioles. The Yankees need more out of their ace, and CC should be able to take care of business against a weak Twins lineup to get himself back on track.

That being said, it seems like it would take a miracle for the Yankees to get even a hit out of the bottom four in this lineup. Cruz was rocking a -7 wRC+ in his time with the Dodgers, and Adams has struggled against righties (and everyone, really) with a .179 batting average against them.

Two potential targets for the Yankees were grabbed up by other teams very recently: The NationalsacquiredKelly Shoppach, who was previously released by the Seattle Mariners. Shoppach would have provided an easy upgrade over Chris Stewart and Austin Romine. The ever-controversial Manny Ramirez was signed to a minor league deal by the Texas Rangers. When you need offense as badly as the Yankees do, it's difficult to be picky, and missing out on Shoppach is rather questionable when depending on the return of Francisco Cervelli is really all the Yankees have.

SaberSphere 7/4: America, Manny Ramirez, Puig!

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Previously on Beyond the Box Score

Around the Sabersphere

Around SB Nation

Outside the Sabersphere

  • Jay-Z Magna Carta Holy Grail
    Jay-Z's new album dropped last night as an exclusive to Samsung Mobile owners. Or at least it was supposed to. I looked forward to this release for weeks and planned to include a link to a streaming copy of the album here. However, I wound up listening to the album on Power 105.1 like a schmuck. Manga Carta Holy Grail is wonderful, but if you clicked the link above then the only thing I have to say to you is: Got heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeem!

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Baby Bomber Recap 7/3/13: Mason Williams stays hot in Tampa loss

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Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L 5-11 vs. Pawtucket Red Sox

CF Corey Patterson 0-5
C JR Murphy 1-5, HR, RBI, K - third homer since his promotion
RF Fernando Martinez 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, K - batting .362 since being acquired
1B Randy Ruiz 0-4, K
DH Dan Johnson 1-2, HR, RBI, 2 BB, HBP - 12th homer of the season
SS Brent Lillibridge 2-4, 2B, E6 - fielding error, first with SWB
LF Thomas Neal 0-4, K
3B Josh Bell 0-2, 2 BB
2B Addison Maruszak 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, E4 - fielding error, fifth of the season

Caleb Cotham 4.2 IP, 10 H, 9 R/6 ER, 4 BB, K - eight groundouts, two flyouts
Kelvin Perez 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB
Matt Daley 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Mike Zagurski 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Alfredo Aceves managed to have a less-terrible night than Caleb Cotham did and the Red Sox put up back-to-back four-run innings in the fourth and fifth. JR Murphy keeps right on hitting. Brett Marshall starts for the RailRiders tonight at 7:05 pm.

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 0-7 vs. Portland Sea Dogs

LF Ramon Flores 0-4, CS, put out
CF Slade Heathcott 2-4, 2 K
DH Tyler Austin 2-4 - batting .256/.293/.359 over his last 10 games
1B Andrew Clark 0-3, BB, E3 - missed catch, second error
SS Carmen Angelini 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K - batting .206 since his promotion
3B Reegie Corona 2-4
2B Jose Pirela 1-3
RF Cody Grice 0-2, BB, K
C Francisco Arcia 0-3, K, PB (2nd)

Zach Nuding 4 IP, 10 H, 6 H/5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K - four groundouts, three flyouts
Jeremy Bleich 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R/0 ER, 2 BB, K
Danny Burawa 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, K

Trenton's offense failed to score a run and 11 Sea Dogs hits turned into seven Sea Dogs runs to had Nuding his 10th loss of the season and the Thunder their 43rd loss of the year, putting them two games under .500. Mikey O'Brien gets the start for the Thunder tonight at 7:05 pm.

High-A Tampa Yankees: L 2-3 vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers

CF Mason Williams 1-4, RBI, K, SB - batting .350/.395/.525 over his last 10 games
2B Rob Refsnyder 0-4
DH Peter O'Brien 0-4, 3 K
C Gary Sanchez 1-4, 2B, K - batting .278/.325/.500 over his last 10 games
RF Yeral Sanchez 0-4
LF Ben Gamel 0-4
1B Tyson Blaser 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K
3B Dan Fiorito 0-3, BB, K, 2 E5 - two fielding errors
SS Ali Castillo 1-2, BB, E6 - fielding error, first of the season

David Herndon 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K - three groundouts, two flyouts
Diego Moreno 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, BB, 4 K, HB - 8.10 ERA this season
Dietrich Enns 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K - nine groundouts, four flyouts
Joel De La Cruz 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K

Tampa only managed to pick up three hits and they turned two of them into runs, but they couldn't overcome a 3-0 deficit when they finally got on the board in the sixth inning, dropping them to 33-46 for the season. Tampa takes on Lakeland again today at 5:00 pm.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:L 5-8 (10 innings) vs. Rome Braves

SS Eduardo Nunez 0-2, BB, SB, E6 - fielding error
3B Alex Rodriguez 0-2
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 0-3
1B Greg Bird 1-5, HR, RBI, K, E3 - eighth homer of the season
2B Angelo Gumbs 1-3, RBI, BB, K, SB
CF Cito Culver 1-3, BB, K
LF Kelvin De Leon 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, K
RF Aaron Gates 1-4, 2 K
C Jackson Valera 0-4, 2 K

Luis Niebla 5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER/2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K - eight groundouts, one flyout
Derek Varnadore 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 4 K
Adam Smith 2 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Zach Arneson 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K, WP

After giving up four runs in the top of the first inning, Charleston had to mount a comeback in the late innings to send the game to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, the Braves put up a three-spot that the RiverDogs couldn't match in the bottom of the inning for their 36th loss of the season. Dan Camarena starts for Charleston tonight at 7:05 pm in Augusta.

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:L 1-2 (10 innings) vs. Brooklyn Cyclones

2B Derek Toadvine 1-4, 3B, K - batting .263 this season
3B Hector Crespo 1-3, BB, 2 K
CF Michael O'Neill 0-4, 3 K
RF Yeicok Calderon 0-4, K
DH Kale Sumner 1-4, 2B - batting .333 this season
1B Bubba Jones 1-3, 2B, BB, K
SS John Murphy 0-4 - batting .191 this season
LF Mikeson Oliberto 0-4, 2 K
C Trent Garrison 0-3, PB (3rd)

Philip Walby 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K - five groundouts, two flyouts
Caleb Smith 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K - three groundouts, two flyouts
Dillon McNamara 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, HB
Andrew Benak 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

The game was scoreless until Brooklyn got on the board first in the sixth inning. Staten Island immediately answered with a run of their own in the seventh, but Brooklyn scored a walk-off victory in the 10th to hand the Yankees their seventh loss of the season. Staten Island takes on Hudson Valley tonight at 7:00 pm.

Notes from the Gulf Coast League:

GCL Yankees 1 game suspended in the second inning for rain

GCL Yankees 2:

3B Eric Jagielo 2-2, 2 2B, BB - first two professional hits
DH Luis Torrens 0-4, K
SS Thairo Estrada 2-4, K

Rony Bautista 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, BB, 7 K - 15 Ks in 8.2 IP this season

Twins Trade Chip Roundup: Perkins, Morneau, Correia, Pelfrey, Fien

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Happy Fourth of July! Happy Independence Day! Happy Colonial Insurrection Celebration! Honestly, though: my boss at the publisher I worked for in the UK insisted on calling it the Colonial Insurrection. He did not believe in the fight for independence. Naturally, I allowed him to say whatever he liked. He owned the business.

Suffice it to say that IN AMERICA there will by no such hijinks. Today at Twinkie Town we are celebrating America's birthday with baseball. Which makes it just like every other day at TT but don't worry about that. Let's wrap up those Twins talking points, shall we?

Glen Perkins

Perkins has long been thought to be the number one chip this season, at least in terms of players who are theoretically available since the front office has consistently denied that they'd be willing to trade him for anything short of a haul that would include the other team being raked across hot coals. The real question is whether or not the Twins need the luxury of one of the best closers in baseball in a season where they are not going to contend. That answer is, of course, no.

Going a step further, the Minnesota bullpen has been one of the best bullpens in the league this season. I'll mention Casey Fien later, but teams hungry for improvement in their relief corps will also be looking at Brian Duensing and Jared Burton. Certainly the Twins won't trade all of those players, and more than one of those three are capable of turning into this team's next closer.

Last season, the Twins might have made a mistake by not trading Josh Willingham when his value was as high as it had ever been in his career. There are similarities between Willingham in '12 and Perkins this season: in the middle of a career year, under a wonderfully attractive and team friendly contract, a luxury that a non-contending team could part with for the right price. Maybe the Twins never had that price offered to them for Josh, and maybe they won't get the right offer for Perk either, but they should be listening.

For reference, think about this. In 2006, Joe Nathan had the best year of his career for the Minnesota Twins. He'd finish fifth in Cy Young Award voting by posting a 0.79 WHIP, 12.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and 36 saves (his lowest total in a full season with the Twins). Perkins has a 0.789 WHIP, 12.5 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and is on pace for about 40 saves this season. Can you think now of the haul the Twins could have received for Nathan during the prime of his career? Because that's how you should be seeing Perkins right now.

Justin Morneau

A few days ago Morneau hit his fourth home run of the season and, as a result, finished June with a .298/.344/.476 triple slash. Of course he's gone 0-for-11 since and is still slugging under .400 on the season.

But Justin will still constitute an upgrade for somebody. In New York, the Yankees have a right field porch that Morneau loves (that .922 OPS will look pretty good for a team looking for a little help). In Oakland, the Athletics could do with another player who knows how to get on base by getting a base hit - and they could move players around to make sure Justin got enough plate appearances. In Pittsburgh, where the Pirates somehow have the best record in baseball, Gaby Sanchez is still getting most of the plate appearances at first base.

As we get closer to the deadline and certain teams get a bit desperate in looking or that one piece that can push them over the top, Morneau is going to look better and better. He could be a nice supplementary offensive battery for somebody. The calls are already coming in, so the only question is whether or not the Twins will pull the trigger on a life-long franchise player.

Kevin Correia

Steve Adams covered this topic the other day, and it's no surprise that his analysis was spot on so I won't rehash it too much here. All I'll say is this: Correia is the perfect pitcher to balance the back of a playoff contender's starting rotation. He's been effective enough even if the peripherals aren't pretty. For a team on the cusp, whose back end is weak and needs the best chance to win every fifth day, Correia loos good. If he's not traded before the July deadline, he's the kind of guy who could also be traded through waivers in August.

Mike Pelfrey

As awkward as it sounds, Pelfrey might have similar value to Correia. The Orioles have been tied to Pelf on a couple of occasions. If he comes off of the disabled list soon and turns in a couple of decent performances, it could be enough to convince a team to take him on as a way to lend stability to the back end of their rotation. I admit that it still seems unlikely at this point, but the talk is there.

Casey Fien

For all of the talk surrounding the Minnesota bullpen, Fien's name has actually been tied to a specific team: the San Francisco Giants. Fien's numbers have been impressive again this season (9.8 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 0.85 WHIP) though, so he's going to be an attractive target for anybody.

So will Jared Burton, in spite of his recent struggles. And so will Brian Duensing.

When it comes to trading members of the bullpen, the only question to ask is: who will bring the best return? Perkins has the best track record, but a guy like Fien is less expensive and any team could sign him to their own contract when the season is over. That's how good Casey has been this season.

But that's something the Twins will be aware of, too. Perkins, as stated above, as a premier closer in this league is a luxury for a team not in contention. Could Minnesota be looking at Fien and Burton as potential closers for the future? If they're serious about restocking the farm system and giving this team the best chance to compete in the years to come, then they should be.

J.P. Arencibia Said Some Stuff About Gregg Zaun and Dirk Hayhurst

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If you haven't heard the news, J.P. Arencibia had an appearance on The Fan show "Brady & Lang" today. Last night he tweeted a preview of what to expect:

As it turns out, it wasn't that fun. You can go listen to the interview here or I can save you the pain and summarize it below. Essentially J.P. is mad that fans have to hear Gregg Zaun and Dirk Hayhurst point out how bad certain players on the Blue Jays are. Nothing like a little drama between players being paid by Rogers and analysts being paid by Rogers.

I think it's very unfortunate that the fans have to hear those guys talk as much as they do...

That makes two of us J.P., I think it's unfortunate as well.

I know speaking for myself and for the team that there's not one person in the clubhouse who respects those guys cause they're informing the fans the wrong way and it's not right.

I think it's long been a consensus around here that Zaun and Hayhurst are not the optimal people to be informing the fans, but why that's become an issue for J.P. is beyond me. I'm sure the other 24 guys on the team are happy they've been brought into this discussion by their loveable AAAA catcher. The only reason Arencibia cares about what the media is saying to the fans is because it now has to do with him being a bad catcher. I didn't hear the whole clubhouse being outraged when Buck Martinez called Esmil Rogers "Ishmael" or when Gregg Zaun's key to victory for every game was to "Ride the Wave".

One, not a lot of us including myself respect a person who use performance enhancing drugs and was able to stick around as a below average player in the major leagues.

This is a real doozy. If I understand this correctly, J.P. Arencibia said the clubhouse doesn't respect a player who uses performance enhancing drugs. The clubhouse features a man by the name of Melky Cabrera who was suspended for doing that very thing. That would mean Melky Cabrera has no self respect and that's just a shame, hopefully he gets help with that. The ironic part of this statement is that the only difference between Gregg Zaun and J.P. Arencibia is the steroid part. Also, Gregg Zaun was never proven to have used PED's and all allegations came from allegations based on the Mitchell Report so no lawsuits here please.

Dirk Hayhurst is a guy who was a guy who had below average baseball tools

"Hey kettle, you're black!". Arencibia has more in common with these guys than he even realizes.

I was the catcher in AAA who was busting my butt every single day to try and get the best out of him and he had an opportunity to go up to the Major Leagues that year and I take of pride in helping, and feeling I'm a part of what gave a guy an opportunity. I even remember having conversations with him on how to throw a changeup inside. I thought it was better to throw the changeup in than the changeup away and he had great results with it and I think it's tough to hear people like that criticize, I know it's part of their job, but to sit there and inform the fans "this is wrong and this is not the way" because they quickly forget how hard this game is.

460602_l_ch__2009_40_14_0_20091002_medium

via www.fangraphs.com

GREAT SUCCESS! Bunch of inside changeups there.

The end of this quote makes it seem like J.P is angry that Hayhurst is telling people what Arencibia is struggling with because Hayhurst himself struggled in the major leagues. That's just silly to think Hayhurst can't criticize anyone because he wasn't a successful big leaguer himself. Funnily enough, I've heard Hayhurst say the exact same thing to fans who "haven't played the game so they wouldn't understand" so it must be a popular excuse when they don't want a fair debate.

Those guys are not letting the fans know what it takes and how hard it is on a day in and day out basis from dealing with injuries to go out there and succeed in this game on a consistent level

Thank goodness they don't do that. Gregg Zaun preaching every pre-game how hard it is to play baseball would be even harder to listen to then what he blabs on about currently. Analysts aren't supposed to just pat players on the back and look past their failings. These are MLB players being paid millions of dollars (or hundreds of thousands in J.P.'s case) and are expected to perform at a certain level. If they don't perform at that level, they can't go blaming media for pointing that out. If you don't want to be criticized by the media for only getting on base 24.4% of the time, you shouldn't respond by pointing out that the analysts saying those things were just as bad at baseball.

Those guys should know how hard it is cause one of them didn't play in the major leagues for more than a month and the other one had a good career, but wasn't that great either so they should really understand and make the fans know "hey it's not that easy".

We all wish Arencibia was an example of the former, but alas he is definitely the latter. After checking back on Zaun's stats in the major leagues, it's pretty clear that he was actually better than Arencibia the majority of his career. I don't understand what point Arencibia is trying to make anymore. He's been playing bad and numerous people have pointed it out to the fans, which is their job. It doesn't matter if the person who says it was an awful high school baseball player or a player who was in the major leagues for 10 years. There's 30 highly coveted starting catching places in the MLB and regardless of how hard the sport is, if you don't perform well enough you'll lose your spot.

All in all, this was a strange rant by J.P. Arencibia fuelled by rising pressure on him and a loosening grip on his starting catcher's job. He decided to thrash out at the people pointing out his flaws instead of internalizing it (like most players) and working on improving his play.

I really dislike both parties of this argument, because generally Zaun and Hayhurst do a pretty poor job of informing the fans, but it's not Arencibia's place to say that. He shouldn't even be listening to those guys talk about him, because it clearly has gotten in his head and frustrated him. I assume all this blows over because it's a silly attempt at starting drama between employees being paid by the same company. The last thing Rogers want is a player on their team starting a rift with the exclusive media outlet because nothing good would come of that.

Let us know in the comments how much you care about these comments on a scale of 1 to "don't care at all". Also vote who's side your on in the poll. It's like choosing between Yankees or Red Sox in my eyes.

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Yankees lineup vs. Twins, Francisco Cervelli shut down

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It's the Fourth of July and the Yankees are hoping to sweep the Twins in Minnesota. David Phelps is on the mound and hoping to make the Yankees undefeated in the month of July. The Yankees have released their lineup for today:

Brett Gardner has the day off, so Ichiro Suzuki will be batting leadoff and Zoilo Almonte gets a shot in the two hole. Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells seems like a giant hole to have in the middle of the lineup, but then again, the lineup basically dies after Cano. If Gardner is still healthy (please be) I have to wonder why Girardi would give him the day off with the All-Star break so close and the lineup looking like this. This team needs to win as many games as possible to finish the first half of the season. Luis Cruz, Alberto Gonzalez and Austin Romine might be the worst bottom three that has ever been assembled this season. Basically, Phelps is going to have to be perfect if he wants a win.

Francisco Cervelli has been shut down after experiencing some kind of stress reaction in his elbow, which could be an aggravation of an old injury. It was previously thought he could come back in July, but he is going to lose two weeks in his rehab, moving his return into August. This news comes at a time when Yankees catchers have produced a .188/.266/.224 batting line in the last month. It would have sure been nice if the team picked up Kelly Shoppach before he signed with the Nationals and Ramon Hernandez with the Blue Jays. Miguel Olivo was recently designated for assignment by the Marlins. Rod Barajas and Matt Treanor are still free agents as well.

More From Pinstriped Bible

Are the Yankees cutting back on CC Sabathia's workload?

Robinson Cano Contract: Yankees might not have to fear Dodgers

Yankees sign Dominican shortstop Yonauris Rodriguez

Mets Independence Day News: Could somebody, anybody get Cody Ross out?

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Meet the Mets

The Mets fell to the Diamondbacks 5-3 last night after a long rain delay pushed the game back by two hours. Matt Harvey was good until he allowed a three-run home run to the hated Cody Ross in the sixth inning. The Diamondbacks scratched out two more runs to break it open. Damn you, Cody Ross.

Choose Your Recap:Amazin' Avenue, MLB.com, ESPN NY, Daily News, New York Times, Associated Press, Star-Ledger, NY Post, Newsday

Dillon Gee faces Ian Kennedy as the Mets look to win the series against the Diamondbacks this afternoon.

Matt Harvey should start the All-Star game opposite Max Scherzer, says Dave Schoenfield. There are more pictures of Harvey's ESPN bodies photo shoot. The first photo that came out continues to melt hearts.

Jon Niese's MRI was pushed back to Monday. Meanwhile, Shaun Marcum is hurting but expects to make his next start. Terry Collins held back from using Carlos Torres in case they needed a starter in place of Marcum or Dillon Gee.

There's no timetable for Ike Davis' return to the big leagues. Meanwhile, Pedro Feliciano will stay in Binghamton until he can maintain his velocity in back to back outings.

Anthony Recker starts again this afternoon but Terry Collins says he's not bailing on John Buck. I don't know, maybe he shoudl.

The Mets continue to make adjustments with Zack Wheeler, who was angry with his most recent bullpen session. HE CARES!

Will the Mets trade Marlon Byrd? Byrd says he wouldn't be surprised.

IMPORTANT: Exclusive interview with Mr. Met, who names David Wright as his favorite Met. I knew I always liked that guy.

Yesterday At AA

I also wrote about Marlon Byrd'strade prospects. Chris McShane wrote about Brandon Lyon.

Chris also says that MLB instant replay should be a lot better than it is.

AA took on the Matt Harvey ESPN bodies picture.

Juan Lagares took a ball to the face in this GIF.

Joe Sokolowski has another edition of This Week In Mets Quotes.

Steve Sypa has yesterday's Daily Farm Report.

Around the NL East

The Marlinsbeat the Braves 6-3. Atlanta called up unfortunately named prospect Joey Terdoslavich.

The Nationalsfell to the Brewers 4-1. They also activatedWilson Ramos from the DL.

The Piratesbeat the Phillies 6-5.

Around the Majors

The RangerssignedManny Ramirez to a minor league contract. Yes!

Yasiel Puigbruised his hip running into an outfield wall. All of the sads.

The Brewers and Diamondbacks may be talking about a Yovani Gallardotrade.

The Yankees placed Jayson Nix on the DL and signed former Dodgers infielder Luis Cruz, who they released after he hit .127/.175/.169 in over 100 at bats this year. These are the Yankees now.

Carson Cistulli has his Fringe Five prospects, this week featuring two Mets: pitcher Matt Bowman and hitter Wilmer Flores.

Jay-Z took a shot at Scott Boras in his new song.

If you read an article or find a link that you think would be a great addition to a future edition of Mets Morning News, please forward it to our new tips email address tips@grission.com and we'll try to add it in.

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