Monday, August 12, 2013

Kuroda dominates through 8 as Yanks take opener from Angels, 2-1

Thanks to eight scoreless innings from Hiroki Kuroda, an RBI Single from the red-hot Brett Gardner, and a bomb home run from Curtis Granderson, the Yankees were able to just barely sneak past the Angels tonight at Yankee Stadium, 2-1. In those eight innings, Kuroda really was terrific, giving up no runs, just three hits, and striking out 7. With tonight's win, his record has now improved to 11-7 and his ERA has lowered to 2.33. 

In the top of the ninth inning tonight, Boone Logan and David Robertson combined to give up a run, load the bases with just one out, and make the stadium beg Girardi to put the struggling Mariano Rivera in. Thankfully, Robertson was able to escape the mess he created by striking out Mark Trumbo and former Yankee Chris Nelson to end it, but he did get a little lucky. Because in Nelson's AB, the count was 3-2 when D-Rob through a fastball that was definitely high. But fortunately, Nelson swung at it. So I guess tonight was a good night. 

Game Thread: Angels @ Yankees 8/12


In a match up of two teams near the bottom of their divisions we have the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim facing off with the New York Yankees tonight on the YES Network, ESPN, and of course MLB TV. The pitching match up is Hiroki Kuroda for the Yankees facing off with Garret Richards for the Angels at 7:10 pm ET. Kuroda had a tough luck loss last outing but has continued to pitch his butt off all season long for the Yankees.

Here is the Yankees lineup

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Curtis Granderson RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C


Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes. Go Yankees!!!

New York Yankees Daily Injury Update For 8/12


Derek Jeter finds himself trying to work himself back off the disabled list again this season and has started doing so with some soft tee and toss, hitting off a tee, and playing catch today and over the weekend. The Yankees travel to play the Boston Red Sox this weekend and Jeter is expected to spend the weekend at the minor league complex in Tampa working out. Jeter is still a few days from running and is eligible to come off the DL on August 18th by my unofficial count.

Vidal Nuno, surely you remember him right, has started a throwing program FINALLY after a groin injury has kept him out of all of the second half of the season. Brian Cashman does not expect Nuno back this season at all but with a throwing program starting now he has an outside shot at being a September call up.

Kevin Youkilis is now officially eight weeks out from his back surgery that would originally keep him out eight to ten weeks. Youk has not begun any sort of baseball activities and does not have a simulated game or minor league rehab assignment anywhere in sight. Youk is not slated to be back this season at all and I believe it.

Ty Hensley, the Yankees first round draft pick from the 2012 MLB First Year Players Draft, has missed the 2012 season after a hip surgery but has started a throwing program recently in his rehab back to the mound. Hensley is not expected to see the mound this season at all and the Yankees will probably be extremely cautious with him but any progress and good news is just that, good news, for Ty and the Yankees.

Cuban Slugging First Basemen Jose Abreu Defects


Jose Abreu has defected from Cuba and is somewhere in South America declaring citizenship as the first step in signing with a major league club. This process usually takes months, if not years in the Rafael DePaula situation, which slots him to be available to sign right in the heart of the winter meetings and free agency for the 2014 season.

Abreu is in his age 26 season which makes him a true free agent and will not affect a teams international free agent spending pool and cap. Abreu is a big guy listed at 6'2" and 258 lbs which translates, reportedly, into 30 home run power in the states with a high batting average. Like most Cuban defectors he is prone to breaking stuff, especially off the plate, and looks to be strike out friendly in the majors. Abreu is right handed, which is not considered to be ideal for a first basemen, and is a borderline defensive liability in Cuba which means he may be Manny Ramirez at first in the states. The Yankees may like him as a designated hitter and platoon/bench/fill in player though depending on his price.

This season Abreu put up an insane triple slash of .382/.525/.735 to follow up another insane triple slash last season of .394/.542/.837. Even if this guy had a drastic decline from his Cuba numbers to the majors he is still a .300/.420/.650 guy and that is worth a ton both in years and total value. He should attract a ton of attention in a weak market for first basemen with Kendrys Morales and Mike Napoli as the big name first base free agents for 2014. Speculation has already started that Abreu may command a contract in the $70,000,000 range for six or seven years which is a scary commitment for a guy with no big league experience, no defense, and no assurances that he can adjust to major league pitching, specifically the breaking stuff.

I think the Yankees ultimately pass on Abreu unfortunately as with that kind of committment he would have to be played in the majors right away. The Yankees already have Mark Teixeira penciled in at first base and I cannot see them putting a ton of money into a guy to be a designated hitter for the foreseeable future. As much as I am going to hate seeing him jacking home runs out of some stadium next season knowing that the Yankees could have had him I ultimately understand, even as a self proclaimed greedy fan. I can see a team like the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, and of course the Los Angeles Dodgers at least kicking the tires on Abreu among other teams so it should be interesting to see how this unfolds. Stay tuned.

Los Angeles Angels @ New York Yankees 8/12


In a match up of two teams that have mightily struggled and did not meet expectations in 2013 is a four game series between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim traveling to New York to play the New York Yankees in Yankees Stadium. The Yankees will send their ace Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face off against Garrett Richards for the Angels of Orange County of Disney World of the greater Los Angeles area. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on the YES Network, ESPN, and on MLB TV. Buy your Yankees tickets for this game and every game this series right here on the Greedy Pinstripes.

Game 117 Lineup: Angels vs. Yankees

It's game one of this four game set! Here is your starting lineup!

Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Curtis Granderson RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C

Hiroki Kuroda LHP

 

Cito Culver Makes An Amazing Defensive Play



Cito Culver, ugly uniform and all, makes an amazing defensive play that ended up being #2 on Sportscenter's Top Plays over the weekend. Watch the entire video here as we get ready for tonight's game against the Angels.

Brett Gardner & Alex Rodriguez In Pictures


They say a picture is worth a thousand words but it does not look like Brett Gardner has anything to say to Alex Rodriguez here does it? I know I am just starting a crap storm out of nothing but it's a slow news day and I felt like being sarcastic this morning. Good morning Yankees fans and let's start a winning streak tonight against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

RiverDogs Blank Rome Braves in Series Finale


RiverDogs Blank Rome in Series Finale
Three Charleston pitchers combine for the shutout

CHARLESTON, SC – Eric Wooten, Tyler Webb, and Vicente Campos combined to toss a ten hit shutout for Charleston as the RiverDogs won the series finale over the Rome Braves 1-0 on Sunday at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in front of 4,845 fans.

With the win, the RiverDogs advance to 24-26 in the second half and 63-55 overall. Rome falls to 23-27 in the second half and 59-60 overall with the loss.

It was an old fashioned pitcher’s duel with both teams getting greats outings from their starters.

Charleston starter Eric Wooten scattered seven hits and didn’t walk anybody in a season long six innings on the mound. The lefty threw 81 pitches, 60 of which were strikes, and struckout four. He earned his first win as a RiverDog to improve to 1-1 and lower his ERA to 0.45 in five outings.

Rome’s starter was very good as well with Frank Lafreniere limiting Charleston to just three hits in six solid innings of work. He allowed one run, walked three and struckout four.

One of the three hits Lafreniere allowed was a line drive homer of the left field wall by Reymond Nunez, his second in as many days.

That was all the offense Charleston would get, and it was all they would need thanks to their stellar pitching.
After Wooten departed following his six shutout frames, lefty Tyler Webb came in and threw a scoreless seventh inning allowing just one hit and striking one man out.

In the eighth, Charleston went to the bullpen again and brought in starter turned reliever Vicente Campos. The righty allowed two hits to put runners at the corners with only one out, but got a huge 5-4-3 double play ball off the bat of Joey Meneses to end the eighth inning and strand the tying run at third base. He then worked a perfect ninth inning to collect his first save as a RiverDog.

Righty Patrick Scroggin was great in relief for the Braves striking out four in two scoreless innings of relief.
Jake Cave enjoyed another good day at the plate going 2-4 and collecting two of the just four hits Charleston had.
BALLPARK FUN: It was Star Wars Night at The Joe with Darth Vader throwing out a ceremonial first pitch plus R2D2 and many more Star Wars characters roaming the ballpark throughout the game.

COMING UP: Monday is an off day for the RiverDogs. Tuesday night Charleston is back at it as they welcome the first place Lexington Legends to town for the first and only time this year. Lexington will be starting RHP Miguel Almonte (4-8, 3.31 ERA) and Charleston will counter with RHP Brett Gerritse (8-6, 3.69 ERA). 

Each Tuesday the RiverDogs team with MUSC Wellness to promote healthy lifestyle choices. Tuesdays at The Joe feature a healthy menu item and lifestyle tips throughout the game. The new 2-for-$20 Date Night includes two tickets, two slices of pizza, two sodas and one bag of popcorn all for $20. Also, local Italian restaurant La Fontana presents the "Lucky Couple of the Game" as one fortunate pair will be selected at random to win a free and romantic Italian dinner. The restaurant will bring in two specialty dishes and the couple will enjoy that dinner in a singular seating arrangement down the right field line while enjoying the game. It is also Bike Night at Riley Park as fans are encouraged to ride their bicycles to the game. There will be a pregame group bike ride from Hampton Park to the stadium, plus bike themed promotions throughout the evening. Fans must register for the bike ride and purchase tickets in advance by contacting the RiverDogs front office. There will also be a cash bar set-up in Doby's Deck for all those that participate. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm. Fans can listen to the game live locally on ESPN Radio 910AM or online at www.riverdogs.com.

--RIVERDOGS--

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

Turley Leads Thunder to 5-1 Win


TRENTON, NJ – Trenton used a dominant start by Nik Turley in Sunday evening’s 5-1 win to notch a series sweep over the Akron Aeros.
Trenton scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the 1st inning for an early 2-0 lead, and Turley would make it stand up with seven innings of five-hit, one-run ball for the Thunder. Turley collected his 9th win of the season and lowered his ERA on the season to 3.74.

He needed just 68 pitches to get through the first six innings before running into trouble in the 7th inning with Trenton leading 5-0. After recording the first out of the inning, he allowed three consecutive singles to load the bases. He then walked catcher Jake Lowery for Akron’s first run of the game, and it brought the potential tying run to the plate in a 5-1 game. The next batter, Giovanny Urshela, was Turley’s sixth strikeout victim to keep the bases loaded with two outs, and he induced a flyout to left field by Matt Lawson to end the inning.

The offensive attack was paced by Jose Pirela’s 2-for-3 night with a run scored, a double, a hit-by-pitch and a pair of RBI. He drove home the first run of the game in the 1st inning with a one-out double to left field that rattled off the left field wall. It scored Reegie Corona who had just doubled before Pirela, to give Trenton a 1-0 lead. Pirela then scored on Kyle Roller’s RBI single past the drawn-in second baseman Ronny Rodriguez for a 2-0 lead.
Trenton would stretch their lead from 2-0 to 5-0 in the bottom of the 5th inning thanks to a two-run double by Ramon Flores- who extended his season-long hitting streak to 12 games. Two batters later, Pirela doubled home Flores for the Thunder’s fifth run of the game.

Trenton used reliever Tommy Kahnle for the final two scoreless frames to slam the door on the ballgame which took 2:43 in front of 3,917 fans at ARM & HAMMER Park.

The Thunder return to the field for a three-game series against the Harrisburg Senators beginning Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. LHP Jeremy Bleich (1-1, 2.98) pitches for the Thunder against LHP Robbie Ray (4-1, 3.20). Limited tickets are still available atwww.trentonthunder.com.tickets. 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

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/12


On this day in 1964 at Yankees Stadium Mickey Mantle hit a home run from each side of the plate for the tenth time in a single game establishing a new major league record. These home runs helped rookie pitcher Mel Stottlemyre win his major league debut and get his first victory.