Sunday, July 14, 2013

Trenton Thunder Game Recap For 7/14

 
 
 
Press Release - July 14, 2013
Thunder Blanked 1-0 in Sunday Pitcher's Duel
NEW BRITAIN, CT – Virgil Vasquez and two relievers held the Thunder scoreless and to only one hit, and New Britain scratched across a 2nd-inning run en route to a 1-0 win over the Trenton Thunder Sunday afternoon.
 Vasquez (2-2) retired the first 17 batters he faced and carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning before Jose Pirela’s lead-off single broke up the bid. Trenton was one-hit for the second time this season and ended up splitting the four-game series with the Rock Cats despite allowing a total of five runs in the four games.
Shane Greene (3-2) allowed a one-out triple to Daniel Ortiz in the 2nd. Ortiz came in to score on Dan Rohlfing’s ground out to shortstop- providing the only run of the game.
Greene worked six strong innings, limiting New Britain to just five hits while striking out three. Graham Stoneburner retired all six batters he faced in the 7th and 8thinnings of relief.
Trenton had a base-runner in scoring position with two outs in the 9th inning thanks to a walk and a wild pitch by closer Dakota Watts. Andrew Clark lined out to centerfield to end the ballgame which was played in 2:16 in front of 4,214. Despite the loss, Trenton is still 6-2 in their last eight games.
The Thunder travel to Reading with Alex Rodriguez in-tow for a three game series beginning Monday with the Fightins. The game features LHP Nik Turley (7-5, 4.34) for the Thunder facing Reading’s LHP Austin Wright (3-4, 6.87).  Radio coverage on 91.3 FM (WTSR) and streaming online begins at 6:50 p.m.
 
--THUNDER--

Being posted with permission from the Trenton Thunder organization. The original article can be seen HERE.

Alex Rodriguez Doubles In Tampa Rehab Finale


Alex Rodriguez has presumably played his last game for the Tampa Yankees in this rehab assignment and went out with a 1-3 day with a double, a walk, and a strike out. Alex also reached on a fielders choice as he played the entire game at DH. Alex will play the next three games at least for the Trenton Thunder as they travel to Reading to play the Phillies AA organization.

Alex Rodriguez Rehab Assignment Moves To Trenton


Alex Rodriguez and his 20 game rehab assignment are moving up to the AA Trenton Thunder starting tomorrow night in Reading, PA. Alex has until July 22nd in this rehab assignment to prove that he should be back with the Yankees. If he is not ready the Yankees have to shut him down for five days to restart the assignment and the clock all over again which would not be ideal for anyone involved.

Game Thread: Twins @ Yankees 7/14


The Yankees and the Twins play in their final games before the All Star Break this afternoon on YES and MLB TV. CC Sabathia and Kyle Gibson is the pitching match up while the Yankees look to continue their dominance over Minnesota. CC is coming off of a complete game last time out but took the loss against the Kansas City Royals. Kyle Gibson is coming off of a loss to the Tampa Bay Rays so both pitchers look to bounce back. Go Yankees!

Here is the Yankees lineup

Ichiro Suzuki CF
Zoilo Almonte LF
Robinson Cano 2B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells RF
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Luis Cruz 3B
Chris Stewart C


Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes

Minnesota Twins @ New York Yankees 7/14


In the final game before the All Star break the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins will play an afternoon game at Yankees Stadium in the Bronx. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with the Twins Kyle Gibson. The game will be televised at 1:05 pm ET on YES and MLB TV.

Yankees Should Offer Cano A 12 Year Deal

Being posted as a part of Syndicated Sunday from Pinstripe Alley

Where do I sign? - Jim McIsaac
Offering anyone a 12-year deal sounds like a terrible idea, but for the Yankees and Robinson Cano it actually makes financial and baseball sense.
(When someone says) Now hear me out, whatever follows that is not gonna be good.
Now hear me out. The Yankees should give Robinson Cano a massive twelve-year contract following this season that will pay him until he’s nearly 43 years old. If the Yankees are serious about getting under the luxury tax of 189 million dollars and staying competitive in 2014, they need to get creative. Spreading Cano’s money over 12 years instead of 7-10 creates a lower average annual value of the contract. When calculating payroll for luxury tax purposes, Major League Baseball does not use the amount the player actually made in a given year. The Yankees could not offer Cano $5 million in 2014 with a much larger salary in the years that follow in order to get under the luxury tax level. Baseball uses the average annual value (AAV) of the guaranteed money in a contract including player options.
Whether the Yankees actually go through with their goal to get under the luxury tax in 2014 is questionable. At the end of this season, the Yankees will lose Curtis GrandersonHiroki Kuroda, Robinson Cano (potentially), Andy PettitteKevin YoukilisMariano RiveraPhil HughesTravis HafnerJoba ChamberlainLyle Overbay, and $8.5 million of Vernon Wells’ salary for a total just a tad under $100 million. The Yankees current commitments to Alex Rodriguez, Vernon Wells,Ichiro SuzukiCC SabathiaDerek Jeter, as well as third-year arbitration players Brett Gardner and David Robertson total roughly $107 million for luxury tax purposes. Adding in a few other arbitration cases and a bunch of league minimum salaries adds another $14 million. While the luxury tax level is set at $189 million, around $175 million will go to big league salaries with the rest going towards benefits, medical expenses, and minor leaguers on the 40-man roster. As a result, the Yankees would need to fill out the rest of the roster with roughly $54 million.
Signing Cano to an eight-year, $200 million contract may make sense logically. A shorter term contract at an even higher AAV may make even more sense logically, but financially, a longer contract could net huge savings for the Yankees while allowing the team to compete in 2014. Whatever amount the Yankees deem a fair price for Cano, they should offer that amount over 12 years. At 8/200, the amount counting against the 2014 payroll is $25 million. If the contract were 12/200, the amount counting against the payroll in is $16.7 million. The Yankees would then have eight million more dollars to spend on the 2014 team when they will likely be shopping for an outfield bat, starting pitching, and infield insurance for A-rod and Jeter.
Cano would need to be enticed in some way to take the same amount of money over more years. The Yankees could offer $30 million per year over the first three years to make up the difference. Owners are generally reluctant to front-load contracts because they want to keep their money as long as possible. However, the move would prove valuable for the Yankees as getting under the tax threshold could be worth close to $60 million in 2014 alone, with the benefits likely totaling over $100 million from 2014-2016 even if they go back over the luxury tax in 2015 and 2016. After 2016, the Yankees would owe Cano $100-$120 million dollars over the next nine years. That is not exactly chump change, but should be palatable for the Yankees as Cano enters his decline phase. It would not hinder the Yankees the same way A-Rod’s contract hangs over future planning as Cano would make less money as the contract rolls on.
If the Yankees do go this route, expect hand-wringing from sportswriters and fans about the Yankees exploiting the system. Expect some form of an inquiry from Bud Selig regarding the fairness of the contract. Expect the Yankees to be able to do it anyway. The decision is actually defensible on baseball grounds. If the argument is that the Yankees should not be able to extend a player into his age-42 season, then the reply is to point to a certain Yankee who signed a long-term deal that reaches into his age-42 season. Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera are all players the Yankees agreed to sign past age 39. Although NHL contracts have been voided to get around the salary cap, those efforts were more blatant and one was set topay Ilya Kovalchuk the NHL minimum for five years at the end of the 17-year deal. Cano would still be making in the $5-$10 million range when his contract ended, and it is reasonable to think he may still be able to play at that time.
If the Yankees further try to exploit the rules and make every one year deal they sign this winter a one year deal with a $1 million player option, they may be more likely to run afoul of Selig. Signing Cano to a longer term and front-loading the deal would be a win for Cano, Yankee management, and fans who want to see a winner. Shorter term deals are generally preferable, but in this unique circumstance, the Yankees are better off extending the years on the contract. Skepticism abounds at whether the Yankees will actually go through with their plan to get under the tax level, but if they get creative they may be able to pull it off.

Two Yankees In Top Seven Of Jersey Sales


Two New York Yankees have found their ways in the list of top jerseys sold this season. Mariano Rivera in his final season is the second highest draw when it comes to jersey sales and Derek Jeter is seventh. Young stars take over the rest of the list unsurprisingly especially in the top 10.

Here is the top 10 list:

1. Buster Posey SF Giants
2. Mariano Rivera NY Yankees
3. Yadier Molina St. Louis Cardinals
4. David Wright NY Mets
5. Matt Harvey NY Mets
6. Bryce Harper WAS Nationals
7. Derek Jeter NY Yankees
8. Manny Machado BAL Orioles
9. Mike Trout LA Angels
10. Yasiel Puig LA Dodgers

YGY First Half Round Table Show

I am happy to announce that I will be representing Yankees Fans Unite on tonights Yanks Go Yard First Half Round Table show.  Ricky Keeler from YGY will be hosting and I will be on with William Juliano of The Captains Blog, Andrew Mearns of Pinstriped Bible and Stacy Gotsulias of It's About the Money. You can listen live tonight at 10:30 or whenever it is convenient for you. Here is the link to the show and I hope everybody tunes in  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whatsbrewin/2013/07/15/ygy-1st-half-roundtable-show

Colorado Rockies Interested In Phil Hughes


The Yankees are said to be aggressively shopping both Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes this July 31st trading deadline and we have a suitor for Phil Hughes in the Colorado Rockies. The problem with this is the Rockies want to trade for Hughes and revert him back to the bullpen as a relief pitcher. The Yankees are looking to get a big haul for Hughes you would think if we did decide to trade him and I cannot see us fetching that if we were trading him as a relief pitcher. Not to mention that Phil Hughes is home run and fly ball prone and having that kind of pitcher in Colorado would be an absolute nightmare.

I am not sure who the Yankees would be interested in to get in return unless it was on the prospect side. Colorado has already said that they are not willing to trade Carlos Gonzalez or Troy Tulowitzki and have to be overwhelmed to trade Michael Cuddyer and I cannot see Hughes as a pending free agent and a reliever being an overwhelming package. I cannot see us being a trade match with Colorado but stay tuned.

Travis Ishikawa Elects Free Agency


Travis Ishikawa was designated for assignment last week when Derek Jeter returned to the Yankees on Thursday and went on the waiver wire. Travis cleared waivers and was given the opportunity to be sent down to AAA but has declined and has elected free agency. Ishikawa is now a free agent and free to sign with any team.

MLB Looking For Plea Deals With Players In Biogenesis?


Alex Rodriguez met with officials from Major League Baseball in connection with A Rod's alleged connection with the Biogenesis Clinic and Anthony Bosch. What I can presume happened was the officials showed Alex all of the evidence that they had against him and questioned him about it, presumably to try and throw a perjury trial on top of this. Word is that after the meeting MLB offered Alex a plea deal presumably to cooperate for a lesser sentence and a smaller sentence. The same deal was said to be handed out to Ryan Braun after he met with the same officials after Ryan refused to answer any questions. This is far from the end of this Bronx is Burning Part II.

Charleston Riverdogs Game Recap 7/13


Augusta Pitching Shuts Down RiverDogs’ Offense
Matt Lujan allowed just one run in seven innings, halts Charleston’s three-game win streak

CHARLESTON, SC – Matt Lujan allowed just one run in seven innings of work as the Greenville Drive beat the Charleston RiverDogs by a score of 3-1 Saturday night in South Atlantic League play at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in front of 5,232 fans.

The RiverDogs are now 11-9 in the second half and 50-38 on the season. The GreenJackets move to 48-41 on the season and 10-10 in the second half. Charleston is in second place in the Southern Division for the second half of the season while Augusta moves to fourth.

Matt Lujan got the win to remain perfect on the year and improve to 3-0. He struck out three over his seven, one run innings before turning it over to the very good GreenJackets bullpen which shut the door on the Dogs late.

Augusta struck first with two runs in the top of the third inning. Rafael Rodriguez and Andrew Cain started the rally with consecutive singles. Later, Rodriguez scored on a fielder’s choice and Cain was plated by a Mitchell Delfino single to left field.

The GreenJackets added one run to their lead in the fifth inning as Cain scored on a fielder’s choice after reaching base with a walk.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Greg Bird’s 10th home run of the season, a solo shot, got Charleston on the board and made the score 3-1. That was as close as the RiverDogs would get.
Augusta added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Charles Jones led off the frame with a double to left-center field and later scored on a Joseph Rapp single.
Tyler Mizenko shut the door on the RiverDogs  with a 1-2-3 ninth inning as he earned his 20th save of the season.
Evan Rutckyj (7-6) was tagged with the hard luck loss for Charleston. In six innings of work, he surrendered two earned runs on just five hits, issued two walks, and also struck out two batters.
BALLPARK FUN: The first 1,000 fans through the gate received a Bill Murray T-Shirt presented by WTAT Fox 24. Prior to the game, more than 20 young men and women took the Army enlistment oath led by Captain Bonny Hutchinson.
COMING UP: The third game of this four-game series against the Augusta GreenJackets is Sunday night at 5:05 at Riley Park. RHP Vicente Campos (1-2, 3.75 ERA) will be on the mound for Charleston and Greenville will start with RHP Justin Schumer (3-6, 4.92 ERA). It is another Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission and Crews Subaru Kids Club Sunday as there will be FREE PARKING, members of the Kid's Club will get FREE entry to the game and kids will eat for FREE as well (kids 12 & under will receive a coupon for a hot dog, Pepsi and chips). 

Denny McLain, baseball's last 30 game winner, will be back at The Joe to sign autographs for the second time of the homestand. Tickets are available in person at the Riley Park Box Office, by calling 843/723-7241, or by visitingwww.riverdogs.com. Fans can also listen to the game live locally on ESPN Radio 910AM or online at www.riverdogs.com.
--RIVERDOGS--

Original article can be seen HERE and posted with the permission of the Charleston Riverdogs organization. 

Trenton Thunder Game Recap 7/13

 
 
 
Press Release - July 13, 2013
Pitching Continues To Shine In 6-1 Win at New Britain
(New Britain, CT) – Zach Nuding and two relievers combined on a six-hitter and Trenton scored five runs against former big-league hurler Nick Blackburn as the Thunder topped the New Britain Rock Cats, 6-1, Saturday night at New Britain Stadium to win for the sixth time in the last seven games.
Cesar Cabral and Tommy Kahnle each tossed two perfect innings as the Thunder finished the game by retiring the final 13 Rock Cats batters.  Trenton has taken two of the first three games in the series and allowed only four total runs in those contests.
Nuding (3-10) worked five innings and allowed six hits and two walks, but stranded seven runners on base to earn the win.  Angel Morales’ solo home run in the third put New Britain ahead 1-0.
But Trenton rallied for five two-out runs in the fourth and fifth against Blackburn (0-1), who made his first start since being promoted from the GCL Twins yesterday. Reggie Corona’s two-run single put the Thunder ahead 2-1 in the fourth, and Casey Stevenson followed with an RBI double.
With runners at first and second base in the fifth, Andrew Clark slugged a two-run double off the top of the right field fence that scored both Jeff Farnham and Slade Heathcott.  Blackburn allowed five runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings.
Heathcott went 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI to pace Trenton’s eight-hit attack.  Morales had two of New Britain’s six base knocks.
The finale of the four-game series will be played Sunday afternoon with first pitch slated for 1:35pm. Thunder right-hander Shane Greene (3-1, 3.86) is expected to be activated from the DL and pitch against Rock Cats right-hander Virgil Vazquez (1-2, 3.04). Radio coverage on 91.3 FM (WTSR) and also streaming online begins at 1:20 pm.
 
--THUNDER--

Original article can be seen HERE and is posted with permission from the Trenton Thunder organization. 

Morning Bits

Good morning everyone!

The Yankees lost to the Twins yesterday by a score of 4-1 in yet another horrific offensive outing by the Bombers.

Phil Hughes struck out ten batters and kept the Yankees in the game until the eighth inning when the Twins homered for the third time and went up by a score of 4-1.

The Yankees stranded baserunners all day, scoring only one run despite getting eight hits and drawing three walks.

Yesterday's game represented the fifth time in the last seven games that the Yankees scored two or fewer runs and the fourth time in the last seven games that the Yankees scored only one run.

The Yankee pitching this year from both starters and relievers has been outstanding, which is the only reason that they are eight games over .500 despite possessing only a +4 in run differential this year.  There are four other teams within ten runs of the run differential of the Yankees(Royals -6, Cubs -6, Angels -3, Rockies -1) and those teams are 5, 8,4 and 5 games under .500 respectively.

The record that the Yankees have is a fluke and nothing more. This team, as it is constructed now, can not and will not make the playoffs.  Unless Brian Cashman makes moves very soon to bring offense to this team, the only game this team will be playing in October is golf.  While Jeter's second return will help, Granderson's impact upon return is questionable and it looks as if PED suspensions will end A-Rod's and Cervelli's seasons.

There is no way that a team with Gonzalez at third, Cruz at short, and Romine/Stewart at catcher can muster the firepower to make an extended run in the toughest division in baseball.

Today's game with the Twins will be the last game the Yankees play until Friday night at Fenway Park against the Red Sox.  C.C. Sabathia(9-7, 3.99 ERA) will do battle with Kyle Gibson(1-2, 7.27 ERA) at 1:05 pm ET in a game that will be televised by YES.

Now on to today's news links:

Bill Madden and Teri Thompson of the New York Daily News report that a 150 game suspension from MLB may be the best deal Alex Rodriguez can get.

Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com thinks that the Yankees have an old Jeter, not the Jeter of old.

Have a great day everyone.

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/14


Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada entered the same game on this day in 2011 in a 16-7 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays. What is significant here is that this was their 1,660th game in the regular season that they have appeared in as teammates. This passes Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri for the most in franchise history.