Sunday, July 21, 2013

Brett Gardner = Hard-Nosed Ballplayer

If only everyone on the Yankees played like Brett Gardner.

Having already collected 3 hits on the night, the unassuming Brett Gardner, left-center-fielder for the Yankees stepped into the batter's box with the score tied 7 to 7.  FIFTEEN pitches later, he stood on first base with a walk.

Gardner has always been the type of player that "true" baseball fans love.  My definition of a "true" baseball fan is my father who always taught me to play the game with 100% pride and effort and to get on base anyway possible; to run as fast as humanly possible out of the box at all times; to shag line-drives in the outfield with reckless abandon.
"I fear no baseball"


With that 15 pitch at-bat against Junichi Tazawa, a 93-95 mph fastball pitcher, Gardner once again proved to me that he is EVERYTHING that I personally love about baseball...kind of a poor man's Derek Jeter.  If the Yankees end up winning this 3-game set with the Red Sox, it will be because of the type of play that Gardner displays every day on the diamond.

Here's to you Gardner and on behalf of "true" baseball fans everywhere, thank you for playing like you do!

Yankees are Run Deficient

As I sit here watching Sabathia get shalacked by the Boston Red Sox, I see an interesting stat once Robinson Cano comes to the plate in the top of the 6th inning with the Yankees down 7-4 and the bases loaded: Cano is 0-3 with the bases loaded this year.

Let me repeat that...Cano is 0-3 with the bases loaded this year.
"Will someone please get on base in front of me?"

The Yankees are playing their 98th game tonight and the situation Cano found himself in the top of the 6th was only the FOURTH time he came to the plate with the bases loaded!?!

Well what do we as Yankees fans expect when the lineup includes names such as Stewart, Cruz, and Overbay?

Thus far without the power bats of Granderson and Teixeira, the Yankees have only managed 380 runs, good for 22nd in the majors while the 1st place Red Sox have scored 504 before the 7 (so far) tonight.

If not for stellar pitching this season and an unexpected power surge by the likes of Hafner, Overbay, and Wells earlier this season, the Yankees could easily be 7 games UNDER .500 instead of being 7 over.

I have never been a huge Girardi fan but seeing what this team has accomplished this year without Jeter, Granderson, Teixeira, and yes even Rodriguez is something short of amazing.  Add to it the loss of Swisher, Ibanez, and Martin (who have a combine 42 home runs this year...thanks ESPN for reminding me) and you can understand the loss of runs.

Oh...and in case you were wondering? Cano singled in a run and is now 1-4 with the bases loaded this season.  Even as the Yanks lone threat and mostly without protection, Cano has still kocked in 68 RBI.  I wonder if Cashman will go after some help for Cano or if the "expected" addition of Jeter, Rodriguez, and Granderson as well as the return of Nunez this past Saturday will be enough?

Alex Rodriguez Has A Grade 1 Strain In His Quad


 Alex Rodriguez's 20 day rehab assignment is up but he will not be heading to Texas to meet with the Yankees as they take on the Rangers but instead back to the Yankees minor league complex. Alex has a Grade 1 strain in his quad a la Derek Jeter just a week earlier. Just as we thought we may be getting better we get another kick to the stomach.

Game Thread: Yankees @ Red Sox 7/21


This is a very important game between the Yankees and the Red Sox tonight on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. The Yankees and Sox have split the first two games so if the Red Sox win tonight we go into Texas seven games out in the AL East. If we win we have gotten within five games of the first place team. CC Sabathia and Ryan Dempster is the pitching match up. Go Yankees!

Here is the Yankees lineup

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


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Trenton Thunder Game Recap For 7/21

   
 
Press Release - July 21, 2013
Thunder Grab Early Lead in 8-2 Win

TRENTON, NJ – With a three-run bottom of the 5th, Trenton pushed their lead to 4-0 in an eventual 8-2 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Andrew Clark paced a nine-hit Thunder attack Sunday afternoon in front of 3,746 fans at ARM & HAMMER Park. Clark finished 3-for-4 with three doubles and raised his season batting average to.299 in 28 games. The game was the first three-double game for a Thunder batter this season, and the third time a Thunder batter had three extra-base hits in a single game—both Rob Segedin and JR Murphy had three XBH in Trenton’s 15-14 loss at Erie April 18th.

In addition to the three-run 5th inning, Trenton used a big 7th inning to secure Sunday afternoon’s win. A wild pitch, passed ball, RBI single from Jose Pirela and RBI double from Andrew Clark each produced a run as part of the four-run 7th. Trenton had their lead cut from 4-0 to 4-2 as New Hampshire scored twice in the top of the 7thinning off Jeremy Bleich who recorded his first win of the season. Trenton’s offense responded immediately to get momentum back on the side of the Thunder.

In his third start of the season, Fred Lewis tossed four shutout innings for the Thunder while striking out four batters on a season-high 63 pitches. In his two starts since being converted from a reliever to the rotation, Lewis has allowed one unearned run in 7.1 innings pitched.

With the win, Trenton splits the series with the Fisher Cats and draws back to within 1.5 games of second place and the final playoff spot in the East Division. At the 100-game mark of the season, Trenton has gone 50-50.

The Thunder and Altoona Curve kick off a three-game series Monday night at 7:05 p.m. The ballgame features RHP Sean Black (3-2, 4.22) for the Thunder facing Altoona’s RHP Nick Kingham (3-2, 2.84). Limited tickets are still available by going towww.trentonthunder.com/tickets or by calling the Thunder Ticket Office at (609) 394-3300. Radio coverage on 91.3 FM (WTSR) and streaming online begins at 6:45 p.m.

--THUNDER--

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

New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox 7/21


The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox finish up their three game set tonight in Fenway Park. We have split the first two games of the series so the winner of this game will win the series. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with Ryan Dempster. Originally Jon Lester was slated to start but he has been pushed back due to "wear and tear" and will get some extra rest. The game will be televised at 8:15 pm ET on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

Yankees Sign Lefty Artur Strzalka From Poland


The first player to be born and raised in Poland only to later sign with one of the 30 major league teams is Artur Strzalka and he was signed by the New York Yankees today. Strzalka is only 18 years old and is not expected to sign for much of a signing bonus but no bonus has been reported as of the time of this writing. He will come stateside for next season and will continue to pitch in Europe for the rest of this season. It's always fun to be the first to do something but I cannot see this being much more than that or we would have heard something about him by now. 

Game 98 Lineup: Red Sox vs. Yankees

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

LHP CC Sabathia

Happy 33rd Birthday CC Sabathia


Happy 33rd Birthday to the big man CC Sabathia who gets to spend his birthday pitching tonight on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. Happy birthday big man and here's to many more! Enjoy your day!!

Alex Rodriguez Scratched From Rehab Game


Alex Rodriguez is not in the lineup for the Scranton Wilkes Barre lineup today in what was supposed to be his final tune up before joining the Yankees when they play Texas tomorrow. This cannot be good news and is probably just another set back in the long line of set backs that has become the Yankees 2013 season. Alex felt tightness in his quad yesterday which kept him from playing third base as scheduled but he did DH but apparently that quad may be a little worse than originally thought. Stay tuned.

Trenton Thunder Game Recap For 7/20

   
 
Press Release - July 20, 2013
Four-Run Sixth Propels NH Past Thunder Again

(Trenton, NJ) – New Hampshire rallied for four two-out runs in the sixth inning to take the lead for good in a sea-saw affair and the Fisher Cats topped the Trenton Thunder, 7-4, before 6,852 fans at ARM & HAMMER Park on Saturday night.
New Hampshire won for the tenth time in its last 11 games to move 2.5 games ahead of the third-place Thunder for the second playoff spot in the Eastern Division.  Trenton has dropped two of the first three in the series and five of its last seven overall.
After the Thunder scored four in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead, the Fisher Cats collected four runs on three consecutive pitches against Trenton reliever Graham Stoneburner (0-1) in the sixth.  Tommy Manzella’s two-out RBI single on a 3-1 pitch tied the score at 4.
The next batter was Adam Loewen, who lined the first pitch he saw into left-center for the go-ahead RBI single.  Andy Burns followed and also jumped on the first pitch, lining a two-run double into left to plate both Manzella and Loewen.  Neither team would score the remainder of the night.
New Hampshire scored three early runs against Trenton starter Nik Turley, but the Thunder struck for four against Fisher Cats All-Star lefty Sean Nolin (7-2).  Nolin, who had tossed 22.2 consecutive shutout innings, allowed an RBI double to Reegie Corona to make the score 3-1.
Two batters later Jeff Farnham grounded a seeing-eye RBI single to right to plate Corona.  Then with two outs, Slade Heathcott drove a ball to right-center that was dropped by Loewen allowing the tying run to score and Heathcott to reach third.  It was ruled an RBI triple for Heathcott.  Jose Pirela followed with a go-ahead RBI hit.
Trenton put runners on second and third with none out in the bottom of the ninth, but New Hampshire closer Alan Farina retired the next three batters without allowing a run to record his fifth save of the season.
The finale of the four-game series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm, with left-hander Fred Lewis (0-4, 2.43) expected to start for the Thunder against Fisher Cats All-Star righty Marcus Walden (6-9, 3.19). 
Limited tickets are available through the Thunder box office at (609) 394-3300 or online at www.trentonthunder.com.  Radio coverage on 91.3 FM (WTSR) and also streaming online begins at 12:45 pm.
--THUNDER--

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

Charleston Riverdogs Game Recap For 7/20


Charleston Boils Crawdads
RiverDogs offense explodes to pickup first victory in Hickory this season

HICKORY, NC – Dante Bichette, Jr. led the offensive charge for the Charleston RiverDogs as he finished 2-4 with two doubles, a walk, two runs scored and four RBI’s to lead the RiverDogs past the Hickory Crawdads 9-5 in Saturday’s series opener at L.P. Frans Stadium in South Atlantic League action.

With the win, the RiverDogs improve to 15-11 in the second half and 54-40 overall. With the loss, the Crawdads drop to 16-12 in the second half and 55-43 overall.

The Charleston RiverDogs offense struck early and often Saturday night to earn their first victory in Hickory this season. When Charleston traveled to Hickory earlier this season, L.P. Frans Stadium did not treat them well as they left Hickory in late April with four straight losses.

This go-around was much friendlier as the RiverDogs scored two runs in the first inning, a run in the third inning, four runs in the fourth inning, one in the seventh and one final run for good measure in the eighth inning.
Five of the nine RiverDogs in the starting lineup all tallied two or more hits. Reymond Nunez finished his night going 3-for-4 with three singles, a walk and a run scored. Cito Culver (1-3) reached on three walks and scored twice.

Charleston starter Vicente Campos pitched his regular four innings and departed due to his innings limit. Campos allowed a run on two hits while striking out six and walking just one. Luis Niebla (4-5) made his first appearance since being demoted to the bullpen and was excellent. The right hander came in to relieve Campos in the fifth and was unhittable. Niebla’s final line was three shutout innings that saw him allow just two hits while striking out six. Relieving Niebla to start the bottom of the eighth was Adam Smith. Smith went just one inning and struggled as he allowed three runs on four hits with one strikeout and two walks. Lefty James Pazos came in for the bottom of the ninth inning to close out the game and allowed a run on two hits and walked one.

For the Crawdads, they struck for their first run in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Nick Vickerson singled and then came around to score on the very next at-bat as Ronald Guzman doubled Vickerson in. Guzman finished his evening 3-for-5 with a two singles, a double and the two RBI’s.

The Crawdads struck for three runs in the eighth inning when they sent eight hitters to the plate. David Lyon had a two RBI double for his lone hit of the night in the eighth. The ‘Dads final run came across in the ninth on an RBI double by Nick Williams.

Hickory starter Frank Lopez (2-4) took the loss as he lasted just 3.2 innings and allowed seven runs on five hits with five strikeouts and five walks.

Game two of this four game set against the Crawdads is scheduled for 5pm Sunday at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory. Charleston will send RHP Brett Gerritse (6-5, 4.58 ERA) to the mound as Hickory counters with LHP Andrew Faulkner (3-2, 3.08 ERA). You can listen to the game live locally on ESPN 910 AM or online at www.riverdogs.com.

Box Score:   http://atmilb.com/16Ryl4t

--RIVERDOGS--

Being posted with permission from the Charleston Riverdogs organization. The original article can be seen HERE.

Alex Rodriguez 0-4 In Latest Rehab Game


Alex Rodriguez has been on fire lately in his rehab assignment but went a little cold last night with an 0-4 day. Alex had three strike outs and a fly out which is not great sign on the same day that he is DH'ing because of a sore quad. A Rod did play the entire game at DH though and apparently did not have to run much so this was almost like a day off for him. Sunday is what was supposed to be his final rehab game before rejoining the big league team so hopefully that plan does not change.

Yankees Trade Chips: Dellin Betances


Being posted as a part of Syndicated Sunday from Pinstripe Alley

In case you have missed the games, daily news, comments, posts, tweets, or apocalyptic warning signs, the Yankees are in need of some help this season. Injuries, injuries, and more injuries have left this team a shell of its former self. Some pieces may soon be rejoining the team in the coming weeks, and only time will tell if they will help this year but you can be sure that Brian Cashman will not just stand by and do nothing in case they don't. The trade deadline is approaching and it's time to examine what we have to trade.
If you've been following our Mother of Dragons' Baby Bombers posts, like you should be, you might have noticed that Dellin Betances has been moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen. It was a questionable move considering that his issues were primarily his lack of control in the first inning. And the second inning. The third and fourth, as well. Too many walks and lack of control would make anyone ponder why he'd be used in even a mop up role. Put the mop away for now.
Tanya asked me, via threat of cannon, to take a look at his stats as a reliever this year.They are impressive. They are so impressive that you almost wonder what he's doing down there instead of replacing Joba Chamberlain in the big leagues. There's not much more Betances can do in the minor leagues. It's just about time to start getting some return on the investment, whether it be with us or as a trade chip.
This year the Yankees' bullpen has been one of their saving graces. I have the privilege of watching almost every team in the majors play baseball. There are many, many teams out there that could use help in their bullpen. It's why the Yankees are shopping Joba so aggressively. He's like the cologne a Macy's employee sprays in your eyes as you enter the fragrance section. If Joba does not attract some teams, Cashman might start spraying "Dellin," whose name should only be whispered softly from now on, in their faces instead.
Dellin is still fairly young and is finally showing some real potential, other than his new cologne-ish sounding first name. The Yankees could very well bring him up, but they still have Adam Warren for the role they would probably use Dellin in. The real problem is that bullpen Dellin Betances has yet to show if he can transfer his surprising performance from the minors to the majors. We might see what he can do sooner rather than later though, if even just to showcase his stuff for potential buyers before the end of the trade season.

The Staten Island Yankees Take On Breast Cancer


The Staten Island Yankees are taking on Breast Cancer this morning with a little help from Staten Island University Hospital and you guys, the fans. The whole program is to honor breast cancer survivors and raise awareness for this disease by giving out information and free mammograms through an appointment. Here is the official press release from Jillian Wright of the Staten Island Yankees. I urge everyone who can attend this to do so because this is a great cause for anyone affected by this cancer and is a great cause overall.

Join Staten Island University Hospital and the Staten Island Yankees’ Breast Health Awareness
Night at Richmond County Bank Ballpark

On Sunday, July 21st at 4pm, Richmond County Bank Ballpark will be hosting Breast Health
Awareness Night presented by Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH). The evening honors
breast cancer survivors as it raises awareness. Throughout, jerseys autographed by the Staten
Island Yankees team will be auctioned off to benefit the hospital’s Comprehensive Breast
Center.

The first 2,500 fans through the gates will receive a free pink pinstriped jersey sponsored by
SIUH.

A mobile mammography vehicle will provide free mammograms; schedule an appointment with
the Project Renewal Mammography Van by calling 800.564.6868.

The Comprehensive Breast Center’s major donor will be announced.

You can purchase tickets to this game by visiting www.siyanks.com or by calling Sales
Executive, Joe Mola at 718.313.1354.

About Staten Island University Hospital

Staten Island University Hospital, a 714-bed, tertiary care teaching hospital, occupies two large
campuses, plus a number of community-based health centers and labs. Founded in 1861, SIUH
continues in its mission of providing quality health care to the people of Staten Island and to
patients from around the world. The hospital, part of North Shore- LIJ Health System, enjoys
numerous academic and clinical award s and accreditations.

About the Staten Island Yankees

The Staten Island Yankees are a Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees and play at the
Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George. The Staten Island Yankees are six-time New
York-Penn League Champions (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2011). The Staten Island
Yankees are looking forward to an exciting 2012 Season and hope you will join us for a game.

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/21


On this day in 1988 the Yankees traded Jay Buhner to the Seattle Mariners for Ken Phelps in a trade that will forever be remembered by Yankees fans and Seinfeld fans alike.


On this day in 2002 Yankees star Alex Rodriguez hit both his 450th home run and his 2000th hit of his career. Alex would be the youngest player to ever reach the 450 hit plateau. Mike Piazza for the San Diego Padres also joined the 2,000 hit club on the same day.