Monday, April 22, 2013

Curtis Granderson Injury Update


Curtis Granderson took the next step in his rehab from his fractured forearm today when he hit batting practice off of a tee and played soft toss for the first time. Granderson also continues to play catch every day which is a good sign because thus far he is set back free. Granderson says he will need 50-75 at bats to get back to the majors but the rehab window rules are a little different as Granderson could lead off every inning and collect 9-10 at bats a game. Granderson still expects to be back with the Yankees sometime in May but May 1st seems awful ambitious at this point, especially with us playing so well without him.

Nick Goody Gets Tommy John Surgery


After only pitching three innings this year Yankees reliever Nick Goody has gone under the knife and became the latest victim of Tommy John Surgery. Nick seemed like he would be a quick riser through the Yankees system out of the bullpen after being drafted by the Yankees in the sixth round of the 2012 MLB First Year Players Draft but will miss this season and probably a chunk of the next before getting back on the mound. This is a shame because Nick is a great guy and you hate to hear bad things happening to good people. Send your prayers and kind words to Nick on twitter, a @GreedyStripes follower, @Its_All_Goody41. Get well soon Nick!

Cano Linked To Biogenesis?


And the hearts of every single Yankees fan just went into his or her stomach...

Robinson Cano, however loosely, has been linked to the performance enhancing drug clinic Biogenesis down in Miami, Florida. As you all remember this is the same clinic run by Anthony Bosch that has also been linked to Alex Rodriguez, Nelson Cruz, and Ryan Braun to name a few All Stars. The records show Robinson owing $300 for a weight loss program that the clinic offers which should be the farthest thing from a steroid scandal but the way these things go today you can kind of understand this being news. The spokeswoman for the Robinson Cano Foundation, Sonia Cruz, was listed as a former client of Biogenesis and that is what got the whole ball rolling on this speculation.

It's really sad that we are in this era where every link to every player automatically becomes news and a witch hunt. I do not expect anything to come of this but that is just a hunch of mine. Cano seems clean to me but maybe that is just the homer in me.

Game Thread: NYY @ TB 4/22


The Yankees start up a three game set with the rival Tampa Bay Rays tonight down at the Trop. Join us here  to talk about the game in the comment section of this post or give us a follow on twitter @GreedyStripes and tweet with us there.

Here is the Yankees lineup

Brett Gardner CF
Ben Francisco DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brennan Boesch RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix 3B

The State Of The Team

Things are going pretty well for the Yankees, especially when you consider the fact that the team is without 44% of its starting lineup due to injury.

"Dude, that's like half the team."

However, the season didn't start off well. The Bombers were 1-4 after 5 games, with a run differential of -8. In their season debuts, CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda gave the team only 6.1 innings, giving up 6 runs on 12 hits, while striking out 6 batters and walking 5. If it wasn't for Andy Pettitte's superb start in the 3rd game (8IP, 1R, 8H, 1BB, 3K), then it could have felt even worse thanks to Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes following Andy with a couple of stinkers of their own (combined 8.2IP, 8R, 13H, 2BB, 9K).

The offense wasn't anything to brag about either, as they were averaging only 3.4 runs per game in those first 5 games. Robinson Cano, picked by many to be the 2013 American League MVP, could only manage 2 hits in the first 5 games. In fact, Robbie didn't record his first extra-base hit until the 7th game of the season. The team was hitting .219/.309/.375 at that point, and I read many comments looking ahead to 2014, as if 2013 was already a lost cause.

Since that time the team has gone 9-3, with a run differential of +31. From the end of the 5th game of the season, til today, the teams' ERA has gone from 6.49 to 4.01, while they are hitting .273/.339/.467. So things are certainly looking better.

Then again, Kirstie Alley looks a lot better than she did before, yet I'd still keep my distance.

But that doesn't mean the team is in the clear. I believe the pitching will be just fine, especially when they get healthy and can replace one, if not both, of their struggling starters (take a wild guess at the two I'm referring to). That team ERA of 4.01 that I mentioned earlier may only be good for 9th in the American League (3rd in the AL East), but keep in mind that Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes, and David Phelps have a combined ERA of 6.33 in 41.2 innings pitched (those 41.2 innings represent 27% of the total innings pitched by the team). Whether they keep their current roles on the roster or not, their respective spots will most likely see better days.

And while I'm pretty sure Vernon Wells will not hit .317/.394/.619 all season long, nor will Travis Hafner keep hitting .319/.418/.702, I think the offense will be good to go. Mark Teixeira could be back within a month, and although I'm not holding my breath for a repeat of his 2009 season (.292/.383/.565), I'm willing to bet he can hit better than the .273/.298/.436 that Lyle Overbay is currently putting up. Curtis Granderson is expected to return in a few weeks, and who wouldn't want a guy in the lineup capable of hitting 40+ homes runs a season? And although Jeter's return has been pushed back to after the All Star break, things are likely to improve from the shortstop position, where Eduardo Nunez has only managed a triple-slash of .175/.271/.200.

On that note I'm not expecting Alex Rodriguez to return anytime soon, if at all in 2013, and that's okay by me.

"One more insult and I'm going to start crying."

Joe Pawlikowski over at River Avenue Blues posted a good article that goes over the Yankees only real issue, and that's regarding their ability to hit against left-handed pitchers. Joe pointed out that while the team is hitting .303/.369/.540 against right-handed pitchers so far this season (449 plate appearances), they have only managed a line of .210/.279/.318 against lefties (221 plate appearances). While the Yankees won't face a ton of left-handed pitchers, the AL East does have its share of good to great southpaws... Jon Lester, Felix Doubront, David Price, Matt Moore, Mark Buehrle, and Wei-Yin Chen (they will face Price and Moore in their next series vs. the Rays).

That doesn't mean the team should look to make any big trades, or any trades for that matter. On top of the return of Mark Teixeira (.301/.389/.541 vs. LHP in his career) and Curtis Granderson (only hitting .225/.292/.407 vs. LHP in his career, but anything is better than what Ichiro has done so far), and the eventual return of Derek Jeter, the team has guys like Zoilo Almonte, Ronnier Mustelier, and David Adams who could contribute a lot to the team in the not-so-distant future.

So while the edge of my seat is going to suffer from plenty of wear and tear while watching the Yankees in 2013, there's no way I'm giving up on them this season and looking ahead to 2014.

New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 4/22


The Yankees will start a three game set with their division rivals the Tampa Bay Rays down in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Yankees will send their ace and work horse CC Sabathia to the mound against last years rookie sensation Matt Moore. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on YES, ESPN, and MLB TV.

Game 20 Lineup: Yankees @ Rays

Even from my sickbed I get to bring you guys the lineup. Here it is and enjoy the game. As for me, I'm going back to sleep.

Lineup vs. Rays:

Brett Gardner CF
Ben Francisco DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Vernon Wells LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brennan Boesch RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Jayson Nix 3B

LHP CC Sabathia

What's Been The Biggest Surprise Of The Season?


1 Contestant WINS $500+ in Ticket Credit from TiqIQ for Th, April 25th!
Best Answer To The Q Below Wins.  
What’s Been The Biggest Surprise of the Season So Far?  


TO ENTER CONTEST, FOLLOW THE SIMPLE RULES HERE:




                   Contest Deadline:  Tuesday, April 23rd at 3pm EST.

This Day In Yankees History 4/22


On this day in 1903 the New York Highlanders, which are currently known as the New York Yankees, would play their first game in the franchises history, a loss to the Washington Senators.


On this day in 1915 the Yankees would don the pinstripes for good after abandoning the fashion for the 1913 and 1914 seasons.


On this day in 1997 Yankees rookie Chase Wright would give up four consecutive home runs to the Boston Red Sox. The batters that would hit the historic home runs were Manny Ramirez, JD Drew, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek.


On this day in 2010 Alex Rodriguez started the Yankees first triple play since 1968 against the Oakland Athletics in a loss. The scoring on the play would be the traditional 5-4-3 triple play.