Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Yankees Sign Ramon Benjamin To Minor League Deal


The New York Yankees have a ton of depth at starting pitcher in the minor leagues and have added another piece to the puzzle with the signing of Ramon Benjamin to a minor league deal. Benjamin, according to his MiLB.com page, has not pitched since the 2011 season either in the majors or the minor leagues.

Benjamin is 26 years old, will be 27 years old next month, and is listed at 6'1" and throws from the left side. No word on where his Yankees career will start but he will bring a career 3.76 ERA and 18-14 record to wherever he starts. Benjamin has never been above Double-A in the Miami Marlins organization but if I had to take a guess the Yankees will be stashing him in Tampa or Charleston.

Game Thread: Yankees vs. Cardinals 5/27


The New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals will play the second of their three game set tonight at Busch Stadium. The Yankees will send David Phelps to the mound to face off with Lance Lynn for the Cardinals. The game will be played at 8:15 pm ET and can be seen on MY9, MLB TV, and WFAN.

Get your Yankees tickets HERE for this historic series or for any of Derek Jeter's final games of his career. Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes to chat during this game and every game and be sure to also drop us a line in the comments section of the site.

Enjoy the game Yankees family and enjoy the rest of your night.

Carlos Beltran Passes Test Swinging A Real Bat


Carlos Beltran took dry swings with a fungo bat yesterday for the first time since receiving two cortisone shots in his elbow and took the next step today swinging with a real bat. Beltran took 15 swings from each side of the plate and came through this test without any pain or problems as well, which is great news for Beltran and the Yankees. If Beltran felt any sort of pain yesterday or today the Yankees were going to put Beltran under the knife in a mid-season surgery that would require up to 12 weeks of rehab before returning.

Beltran is far from out of the woods and will still need the surgery eventually, if not this season, but so far so good for Carlos.

Two Yankees In Top All Star Voting So Far


All Star Game voting has been going on for about a month now and two members of the New York Yankees are at or near the top of the voting polls so far. Derek Jeter leads all shortstops in his final All Star Game while the Yankees Jacoby Ellsbury is third among outfielders.

Carlos Beltran is fourth among outfielders, Alfonso Soriano is fourth among DH's, Mark Teixeira is fifth at first base, and Brian McCann is second.

Mike Trout leads everyone in the American League and voting and Jose Bautista is in second place in the American League with Jeter coming in at third place.

The 85th Major League Baseball All Star Game will be played on July 15th at Target Field in Minnesota.

Cardinals Fans Apparently Don't Like Lance Lynn


When did the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans turn on Lance Lynn? Not all that long ago Chris Carpenter got injured and Lynn started the season 6-0 or something outrageous like that. How quickly we forget...

Preview: New York Yankees @ St. Louis Cardinals 5/27


The New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals will play the middle game of their three game set this week tonight at Busch Stadium. The Yankees will send David Phelps to the mound to face off with the Cardinals Lance Lynn. The game will be played at 8:15 pm ET and can be seen on MY9, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Phelps has held his own since joining the starting rotation and is coming off a game in which he was on the wrong side of a Chris Sale start for the White Sox. Phelps went seven innings and only gave up two runs last time out but the Yankees were blanked by Sale and Phelps took the tough luck loss. Phelps allowed six hits, gave up a walk, and struck out eight batters in seven innings in what was his best start of the season. Phelps threw 104 pitches so he is finally stretched all the way out for the rest of the season.

Lynn has quality starts in three of his four starts this month and is coming off a start in which he allowed just two runs in six innings. Lynn threw 30 pitches and allowed both runs in the first inning before shutting things down for the next five innings only using 59 pitches.

Go Yankees!!

Michael Pineda Throws In Extended Spring Training

George King and Zach Braziller of the NY Post reported that Michael Pineda threw in an Extended Spring Training game this morning. Pineda threw 28 pitches in two innings, and 20 of them were for strikes.

This outing doesn't start Michael's rehab clock, as that won't happen until he throws for one of the Yankees' minor league affiliates. Pineda will throw once more in Extended Spring Training before rehabbing. Some may find this frustrating as the Yankees' rotation needs him, but I'd much rather the team be careful.

Teixeira: Wrist Pain has "Ratcheted Up"

Due to pain coming from his surgically repaired right wrist, Yankees First Basemen Mark Teixeira didn't play yesterday.

The veteran infielder, who was on the DL earlier this season due to a hamstring injury, is currently listed as day-to-day by Manager Joe Girardi, with more off days and DH-ing a possibility for the near future. 

According to Teixeira, the pain in his wrist has gotten worse lately, something doctors told him he should expect to happen occasionally throughout the year.

"It's ratcheted up, definitely," #25 recently told the Newark Star Ledger. "I just want to get it over with. You're sore a lot during the season. You just want to get it feeling better as quickly as possible."

So far in 2014, Teixeira has hit just .248, but does have a team-leading 9 home runs and 25 RBI.

If he was to go down for a long period of time, bench INF Kelly Johnson would likely be his replacement and, considering that Johnson has struggled at the plate this season (hitting just .202), the Yankees really need Teixeira healthy if they are to compete for the AL East, a division the Blue Jays and Orioles have surprisingly started to control. 

Can't Predict Baseball: The Knuckleball Glove Is Born


On this day in 1960 the knuckleball glove is born for catchers as Orioles catcher Clint Courtney became the first backstop to use the glove. Manager Paul Richards came up with the 45 inch glove that helped knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm go the distance in a 3-2 win at Yankee Stadium over the Yankees. Wilhelm did not throw a single wild pitch or passed ball in the game, amazing.

Quick Hit: The Never Say Die Yankees


I am in no way comparing this team to the 2009 team that walked off some 142 times in a season, obvious exaggeration, but this team never says die does it? In 2013 if we got down by more than one or two runs the game was over, we knew it and the players knew it, but this team is so much different. We just keep coming from behind, keep rallying late in the games, and keep winning games we have no business winning. I love it and I love this team, that is all.

Charleston Riverdogs Game Recap 5/26

Wade Scores Twice as Drew, Drive Win Opener
Tyler Wade carries Charleston offense; Stephen Drew's two-run double highlights Greenville win


CHARLESTON, SC - The Charleston RiverDogs scored two runs from Tyler Wade while major league veteran Stephen Drew drove in two runs in an 11-3 Greenville Drive victory on Monday evening in front of 3,951 fans at L.P. Frans Stadium in South Atlantic League action.
Charleston is now 25-24 with Greenville improving to 25-23. The Drive move past the RiverDogs for third place in the Southern Division after winning the opener of a four-game set.
The RiverDogs grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Charleston loaded the bases with a single from Wade, a ground-rule double by Michael O'Neill, and an Aaron Judge walk. Mike Ford hit into a double playthat allowed Wade to score.
Greenville quickly answered in the second inning, surging ahead 2-1. The bases were full for Jordan Weems, who collected a one-out single to bring in Jantzen Witte for the tying run. Zach Kapstein lined out on a sacrifice fly, scoring Wendell Rijo to put Greenville in front.
A five-run rally in the fourth cushioned the Drive's lead. Four straight singles opened the inning, including run-scoring hits by Weems and Kapstein. Weems scored during a Forrestt Allday groundout that pushed Greenville's advantage to 5-1. With one out, Drew bounced a double down the right field line, scoring Kapstein and Tzu-Wei Lin for a 7-1 Greenville lead.
Wade scored again in the fifth inning to trim the deficit to 7-2. Wade opened the inning with a triple and stayed at third after a walk to O'Neill. Charleston scored when Greenville turned a double play against Judge and Wade trotted home.
The Drive cemented its lead with four runs during the eighth inning. Walks filled the bases early in the frame before Allday drove in Carlos Asuaje with a one-out single. Jimmy Rider brought the lead to 9-2 on a wild pitch. Later in the frame, Witte singled to score Kapstein for an eight-run advantage. The final run scored on a wild pitch as Allday increased Greenville's lead to 11-2.
Charleston walked the bases loaded to open the ninth and start a late comeback attempt. O'Neill hit a sacrifice fly that scored Brandon Thomas and brought the RiverDogs within 11-3. However, a strikeout and a groundout ended the contest.
All nine Greenville starters hit safely, with Drew finishing 1-for-3 with a two-run double in his third game with the Drive. Wade led Charleston with two hits, including a triple, and two runs scored. This also tied the longest game of the 2014 RiverDogs season, lasting three hours and 35 minutes to match the time of a 10-3 win at Savannah on Sunday, May 18.
Raynel Velette earned the win for Greenville, who is 3-0 following three hitless innings with no runs charged to him. Charleston's Ian Clarkin is 1-2 after being tagged with the loss.
BALLPARK FUN: The RiverDogs wore their red jerseys, usually reserved for ISHPI Red Shirt Fridays, to honor veterans on Memorial Day. Stewart Spinx delivered a ceremonial first pitch before Monday's game, which continued the Battle of the Palmetto State Rivalry Series, presented by Spinx. "Dogs with a Cause" featuredHabitat for Humanity of Dorchester County.
COMING UP: A doubleheader between the RiverDogs and the Drive is scheduled to start at 6:05pm on Tuesday. Charleston will start LHP Caleb Smith (3-3, 1.28 ERA) and RHP Jaron Long (2-1, 2.13 ERA) in the two games against Greenville LHP Daniel McGrath (1-1, 4.50 ERA) and RHP Myles Smith (2-1, 6.68 ERA), respectively. Gates open at 5pm for Re-Opening Night, featuring a pregame parade with player arrivals on horse-drawn carriages. Harris Teeter 2-for-$20 Date Night Tuesday includes a deal for two tickets to the twin bill, two tacos, two fountain drinks and a nacho tray for just $20 for couples that show their VIC Card at the box office. Tickets may be purchased at the Riley Park Box Office, (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or on-line at www.riverdogs.com. If fans cannot make it to the ballpark, they are encouraged to tune in to all the action this year both home and away worldwide on www.riverdogs.com and locally on 1250 WTMA, the new radio home for RiverDogs baseball.

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

Trenton Thunder Game Recap 5/26

O'Brien's Pinch-Hit Home Puts Thunder on Top

RICHMOND, VA - The Thunder used 12 runs in the final five innings to erase a 6-1 deficit for an offensively-charged 13-9 win over the Richmond Flying Squirrels Monday afternoon.
Trenton had not led against Richmond since the 2nd inning, but with one out and the Thunder trailing 9-8, Peter O'Brien stepped to the plate and launched a pinch-hit two-run homer to give the Thunder a 10-9 lead. It was the first pinch-hit home run for the Thunder since May 1, 2006 vs. Reading.
The Thunder scored three runs the final two innings to extend their lead to 13-9 and make things more comfortable for the bullpen down the stretch.
Trailing 6-1 in the top of the fifth inning, the Thunder loaded the bases with no outs and used a singleby Ben Gamel and a walk to Rob Segedin to pull back to within 6-3. The next batter was Gary Sanchez who deposited a double down the left field line to send Segedin to third base and bring the Thunder within a run. After the first six had reached in the inning, Tyler Austin followed with an RBI groundout to tie the score 6-6.
Offensively, the Thunder scored 13 runs on 16 hits including the second four-hit game of the series by Gary Sanchez. Richmond pitching also walked eight batters to help pace the patient offensive attack.
In his 2014 season debut, Francisco Rondon needed just 15 pitches to record six outs over two perfect innings. The left-hander made 24 relief appearances for the Thunder in 2013, but was shut down by the Yankees in Spring Training and had not appeared in an affiliated game prior to Monday.
The Thunder continue on the road to Reading, Penn. after taking three out of four from the Flying Squirrels. The three-game series against the Fightin Phils kicks-off Tuesday with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch and 6:20 p.m. pre-game show on 91.3 FM and www.trentonthunder.com.

Being posted with permission from the Trenton Thunder, the original post can be seen HERE

This Day In New York Yankees History 5/27


On this day in 1997 Luis Polonia of all people ruined  the Oakland A's Steve Ontiveros bid for a no hitter with a two out sixth inning single. The single by Polonia would be the only hit that Ontiveros would give up in the A's 3-0 victory.