Saturday, May 31, 2014

Making the case to get John Ryan Murphy more playing time

I don't know about you, but it's becoming quite apparent that Mark Teixeira is having a huge problem playing nearly every day. I also do not love the idea of Kelly Johnson playing first base, seeing as how he isn't that good a fielder at his primary position.

I know it's only happened once, but why not start McCann at first base more often? He could still work with the pitching staff, and give John Ryan Murphy ample playing time to develop. McCann wasn't tested too much in his only start at first base, but he didn't look like he could be much worse than Kelly Johnson over there.

Until the Yankees get an actual first baseman developed through the minors (I'm looking at you Greg Bird), I'd suggest just doing this for the next few years. Doesn't cost extra money, develop the young kid behind the dish, etc.

This could be a blessing in disguise for the future with Tex being out this little bit of time, you never know. Heck, maybe McCann turns into a solid first baseman over the next few years. You'd have to think they were thinking about that when they signed him to a 5 year deal.

Mark Teixeira & Michael Pineda Suffer Setbacks


Mark Teixeira was lifted from today's win over the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning due to some wrist soreness. Teix got a cortisone shot during the game and will sit at least tomorrow and Monday before trying to get back into the game. The more Teixeira sits and has issues with the wrist the more likely it looks that Kendrys Morales will be making his pinstripes debut soon.

Michael Pineda has been shut down for a while with inflammation after receiving an MRI today. This is disheartening news for a team that needs a serious shot in the arm, no pun intended. Pineda will not start tomorrow and will not go for a minor league rehab assignment next week as planned. Pineda felt sore after playing catch yesterday and will be shut down.

Tanaka's Strong 8 Innings, McCann's Late Double lead Yankees to Low-Scoring Win over Twins

Say what you want about the early offensive struggles, but today's game was a win. 

It wasn't pretty by any means, as the Yankees did leave a total of nine men on base, but in the end, the effort they put up was good enough, as it helped them beat the Twins 3-1.

Yes, they did fail to score despite loading the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first, and yes, they did kill a sixth inning rally with bad base running.

But let's be honest, that was ok today.

When you have Masahiro Tanaka pitching, you can get away with a lot of stuff, just ask Alfonso Soriano and Mark Teixeira, whose pair of bad defensive plays put men on second and third with nobody out in the third.

Tanaka could've just surrendered a couple of sac flies, but instead went right after the heart of the Twins' lineup, striking out two and inducing a line-out to get out of the jam uninjured.

That Houdini impression kept the Yankees within one, a deficit that would be wiped out in the bottom of the fourth, when Yangervis Solarte took Kevin Correia (6 IP, ER) deep to right to tie the game. 

Tanaka, who ended up throwing 8 frames of 4-hit, no-earned run ball on the afternoon, still wasn't in line for the win, but that didn't stop him from dominating, as the rookie retired the last eight hitters he faced to the keep the Yanks tied heading into the bottom of the eighth. 

In that AB, the Bombers had to score in order to give #19 the W, something they did twice thanks to an RBI Double from Brian McCann and a post-rain delay single from Kelly Johnson.

After a three-strikeout ninth from David Robertson, the game was over, and just like that, all the frustration of the day was, too.

The Pinstripes didn't play well, but at least they and their starter ended up getting the win. I guess that makes everything else that happened irrelevant. 

Robinson Cano Is Still Talking...


Robinson Cano is a Seattle Mariner and is still talking about his time with the New York Yankees. I think I speak for everyone when I say get over it, get over yourself, and earn your $240 million by hitting more home runs than your replacement who has almost triple your home runs for $500K.

Anyway, Fox Sports1 has a show called "Back of the Shop" where players sit in a Barber Shop and talk sports, life, etc. Snoop Dogg was there, so was Felix Hernandez, the Cowboys Dez Bryant, the Giants Jason Pierre Paul, and the aforementioned Cano were all on the upcoming episode and like the title says, Cano is still talking. I won't even paraphrase, here is the exact quote from Cano:

“I don’t want to say names, but I’ve played with guys that have been like, you know what, I don’t want to play today. They come in and I don’t feel good or I don’t want to come in. You need to have respect for your teammates. If you don’t want to play, just go home.”

There is 162 games in a season and the Yankees are an old team so it's not really all that surprising that some guys would want a day off. I say I don't want to go to work about every single day, even on pay day. Get over it Cano and get over yourself. You're not bigger than the game, you're not bigger than the Yankees, and you're not even that big anymore. Hit a home run in Seattle then come talk to me in New York.

See you in October. No I wont.

Mark Teixeira Exits Game w/ Wrist Soreness

UPDATE:

Mark Teixeira had wrist soreness and was lifted from the game. I guess it was too sore to hit and not that bad in the field? Who has Kendrys Morales' number?

Mark Teixeira was in the field for the Top of the 6th inning at first base for the Yankees and was set to lead off the bottom of the 6th, but he didn't. Teixeira was lifted for pinch hitter Brian Roberts in the bottom of the inning. No word on if the wrist was acting up, if Teix was tired, or whatever so stay tuned for the latest updates on this situation.

Game Thread: Yankees vs. Twins 5/31


The New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins will finish out the month of May this afternoon at Yankee Stadium in the second of a three game set in the Bronx this weekend. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound on Tanaka Day to face off with Kevin Correia for the Twins. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with WFAN.

Get your Yankees tickets for this series and all Yankees games RIGHT HERE on the blog. With Ticket Monster you can get your tickets not only cheaper than anywhere else but with no fees, no shipping, and quick shipping. Give @GreedyStripes a follow on Twitter to chat during the game.

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

Contract The Minnesota Twins... Meme


#ContractTheTwins

Preview: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins 5/31


The New York Yankees will host the Minnesota Twins this afternoon at Yankee Stadium for the second game of their three game weekend set. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound, Happy Tanaka Day, to face off with Kevin Correia for the Twins. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network, MLB TV, and it can be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Tanaka bounced back well after his first loss in the major leagues last time out with one run allowed in 6.2 innings pitched to improve his record to 7-1. Tanaka threw a season high 118 pitches but got an extra days rest with the Yankees off day Thursday and will take that fresh arm to take on the Minnesota Twins for the first time in his career this afternoon.

Correia gave up four runs and seven hits while striking out five batters in seven innings on Memorial Day against the Texas Rangers last time out. This is just the third time in his last ten starts that he has gone at least seven innings in a start. The Yankees will either bomb him early and get into the Twins bullpen quick or get dominated, there will be no in between.

Go Yankees!!

Can't Predict Baseball: Ted Williams & Carl Yastrzemski Link


On this day in 1961 the Red Sox pinch hit Carroll Hardy for Carl Yastrzemski. Hardy would bunt for a single in the eight inning of a 7-6 loss to the New York Yankees. The importance of the pinch hitter was that Hardy became the only player to pinch hit for both Yastrzemski and Ted Williams in their careers.

On this day in 1975 Cesar Tovar, for the fifth time in his career, got his team's lone hit in a game in which he broke up the Yankees Catfish Hunter's no hitter bid. Tovar singled in the sixth inning of the Texas Rangers 6-0 loss to the New York Yankees. The Rangers designated hitter also got the only Ranger hit in 1967 against the Senators Barry Moore, the only hit in 1968 against the Orioles Mike Cuellar, and in 1970 against the Senators Dick Bosman.


Quick Hit: Bacon Wrapped Bird Dog In Charleston



RiverDogs to Serve Up Bacon Wrapped Bird Dog On Sunday 
Charlie T. RiverDog To Serve As The Celebrity Chef For The Game 

CHARLESTON, SC – The Celebrity Smokin’ Chef promotion that the Charleston RiverDogs have held
every Sunday home game so far this season continues this weekend. The ballclub has announced that
their lovable mascot Charlie T. RiverDog will be featured as the celebrity chef for Sunday, June 1, and he
will be preparing a delicious Bacon Wrapped Bird Dog for fans to enjoy. Charlie T. RiverDog will be at
the game and stop by the RiverDogs' new smoker several times throughout the afternoon to promote the
specific dish, ensure it is being served appropriately, and visit with fans.

The Bird Dog is a bacon-wrapped chicken thigh that is smoked low and slow for 2 hours and topped with
a Carolina Mustard BBQ sauce. It will be served in a hot dog bun. Chef Charlie T. RiverDog will be
serving up the tasty treat to fans for the RiverDogs game against the Asheville Tourists which is
scheduled to begin at 5:05 pm at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on Sunday.

The Bacon Wrapped Bird Dog will be available to all fans for the reasonable price of $7 each.
In addition, the RiverDogs will donate a portion of the proceeds from the smoked item to the Lowcountry
Food Bank.

"This promotion was very well received during our first three Sunday home games this season, and we’re
excited to have Charlie showing off his surp

Jeter on Inconsistent Offense: We Have to Keep Swinging

Over their last few series, it's no secret that the Yankees' offense has been inconsistent. 

Against the Cubs, their bats scored just one run in innings 1-8, before nearly getting shutout twice by the White Sox.

In St. Louis, things pretty much stayed the same, with the Bombers putting up 6, 0, and 7 runs in the three games of the set before going back down to just one in last night's opener against the Twins.

Despite those back-and-forth results, team Captain Derek Jeter is still confident the team can get back on track, as long as they continue to try.

"I think you just keep swinging," Jeter told The Journal News after yesterday's 6-1 loss. "That's pretty much all you can do. It's a situation I think most teams go through throughout the course of the year. Hopefully we can start swinging the bats a little bit better and scoring some runs. It's obviously a lot easier on the pitching staff if we score."

That last sentence is probably the most crucial of that entire quote, as the Pinstripes' backup pitchers of Vidal Nuno, David Phelps, and Chase Whitley (not as much) have definitely struggled lately. They obviously won't be in the rotation forever, but still, giving them some more support right now definitely wouldn't hurt.

This Day In New York Yankees History 5/31


On this day in 1938 Yankees first basemen Lou Gehrig played in his 2000th consecutive game and collected an RBI single. The Yankees would beat the Red Sox 12-5 on this day.


On this day in 2001 the Boston Red Sox finally beat the New York Yankees for the first time since Pedro Martinez laughed off the Curse of the Bambino. On this day yesterday in 2000 Martinez, who was 7-1 with a 1.44 ERA, said that someone should "Wake up the Bambino and let me face him, I'll drill him in the $@#." After the comment the Red Sox lost seven consecutive games against the Yankees.