The Daily Dozen - August 23, 2014

The Daily Half Dozen - August 23rd, 2014
(Twelve Six Takeaways from Today's Game vs. the ChiSox in Honor of #6 being Retired)

1. Today was Joe Torre Day.  The previous special days going back to Mariano Rivera Day had all ended in losses.  But Joe Torre wouldn't have any of that.  Yankee greats David Cone, Reggie Jackson, Willie Randolph, Hideki Matsui, Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and Yogi Berra were all present for the retiring of Mr. Torre's #6 as well as for the presentation of the newest monument in Monument Park.  In Joe Torre's own words, "Monument Park is a long way from Yankee Stadium."  The last number left in the single digits is...you guessed it #2...Derek Jeter...#2.  Here are just a few of the snapshots of the special day:

(Photo Credit: The New York Yankees Official Twitter Feed)

(Photo Credit: Yankees Magazine Official Twitter Feed)

2. Hiroki Kuroda gave up 3 doubles in the 1st two innings.  It looked like it might be a short day for Kuroda and a LONG day for the bullpen, but he settled down and had a respectable pitching line once again.  He gave up 2 earned runs over 6 innings with 101 pitches and 6 strikeouts.  His ERA now sits at 3.94 and he improved his record to 9-8.  This is a little bit different Hiroki then we've seen in the past that seemed to flounder in August.

3. The White Sox defense in the 2nd inning was deplorable.  But not as deplorable as the Yankees base-running and 3rd base coaching in the 4th inning.  When did Major League Baseball players stop drilling base-running, that is my question because Teixeira and Prado both looked lost.  Although I blame Teixeira's mistake a little more on the coaching since McCann should have been hightailing it on home, especially with the new rule in place allowing catchers to basically get scored on at will.

4. Martin Prado is EN FUEGO at the plate!  That means ON FIRE for those non-Spanish speaking individuals out there.  He was 3 for 4 today with 2 doubles, 2 RBI, and a run scored.  Would have been 2 runs scored if he hadn't messed up on the basepaths (see #3 above).  His .271 average has been helped along by batting .333 with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI in the last 7 days.  Not to mention his walk-off hit the night before.

5. As hot as Martin Prado has been the last week...Jose Abreu is like a volcano.  In his last 37 games he has a .366 average, 6 home runs, 21 runs scored, and 12 doubles.  He added his 94th RBI in the 5th.  He now has a .965 OPS to go with his season average of .307.  I am really glad he is on my fantasy baseball team.  Really glad.  Ladies and gentlemen, your 2014 AL Rookie of the Year: Jose Abreu.

(Screenshot courtesy of ESPN.com)

6. The Yankees had scored less than 4 runs in 11 games straight.  That streak ended today after Stephen Drew's sacrifice fly in the 6th gave the Yanks a 5-3 victory.  In their last 20 games since August 1st, the Yankees have only scored 5 runs or more 5 times.  They were all wins.  Imagine that!  The Minnesota Twins on the other hand, in doing the Yankees a HUGE favor have mopped up 37 runs in the last 24+ hours versus the Tigers en route to 2 wins and a current 5-4 lead in the night game of a doubleheader.  The Yankees have only scored 70 runs TOTAL since August 1st.  The Twins have half of that in basically one day.  ONLY IN BASEBALL!

(Honorable Mentions: Beltran hit another made-for-Yankee-Stadium home run today...good thing he was able to get a cortisone shot to allow him to DH.  Burch thinks they should give him one everyday...how is this not "performance enhancing?"  David Robertson recorded his "Rivera" save...his 42nd of his career today...congratulations to Houdini!)