Sunday, July 20, 2014

Kuroda's Dominance Made Meaningful By McCann's Walk-Off Single in Finale Win Over Reds

If there's one thing we've learned about Hiroki Kuroda this season, it's that his record is meaningless. 

In his last three starts, the veteran's had two that he should've won but didn't and one that he shouldn't have won but did, making his current 6-6 line confusing.

And no, that annoyance didn't end today, with Kuroda earning a no decision after surrendering no earned runs in 6 2/3 innings as the Yanks completed a sweep of the Reds 3-2.

Over this afternoon's first four frames, Kuroda and his counterpart Johnny Cueto (5 IP, 2 ER) didn't give up anything, but in the top of the fifth that all changed when Brian Roberts made an error.

That misplay, coming on a routine grounder off the bat of Zack Cozart, eventually led to an unearned run, giving Cincinnati what looked like a commanding 1-0 lead.

However, with one out in the following frame the Bombers rallied, putting two men on when Kelly Johnson and Brett Gardner walked to establish a legitamate threat.

Following those well-earned ways of getting on base, Derek Jeter and Jacoby Ellsbury quickly made it 2-1 with back-to-back singles, shocking Cueto and probably many Yankee fans.

Still, that advantage wouldn't last forever, with the usually-reliable Dellin Betances getting taken deep to left by Todd Frazier in the Reds' half of the eighth.

That homer, Frazier's 20th of the year, came on a 98 MPH fastball up and in, making the fact that it happened frustrating.

Be that as it may, it's not like it mattered that much in the long run, with the Ellsbury-led Pinstripes later winning in the bottom of the ninth. 

Facing the tough Aroldis Chapman after a scoreless three out performance by David Robertson, Ellsbury collected his fourth hit to begin the frame, followed shortly by a steal of second, a wild pitch, and a strikeout of Mark Teixeira to bring up Brian McCann. 

On the first pitch of the at-bat, McCann popped one into short right field, something that should've been an extremely routine out.

Instead though, it fell in between three Cincinnati defenders, allowing Ellsbury to score.

No, it wasn't the prettiest finish of all time, but yes, it was good enough to end the contest, as it completed a perfect weekend and improved the club's record to a solid 50-47.

Yankees Interested In Someone Better Than Whitley


The New York Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman have been open for business for the better part of a month now in the trading market. The Yankees have already added Brandon McCarthy and called up Shane Greene from the minor leagues and the weakest link in the rotation now looks to be Chase Whitley. Well it just so happens that the Yankees had some scouts in attendance for a starting pitcher that is better than Whitley, although he is extremely expensive. His name is Edwin Jackson, his team is the Chicago Cubs, and he is owed roughly $26 million for the next two plus seasons.

While the Yankees were in attendance to watch Jackson face the Arizona Diamondbacks and Edwin responded by throwing 5.1 innings and only gave up three earned runs. Jackson now sits at a 5.61 ERA with a 4.27 FIP, 1.563 WHIP, and a 3.95 xFIP. Jackson misses a lot of bats as evident of a 8.13 K/9 but walks a little too many with a 3.98 BB/9 ratio. All those stats aren't great but they are clearly better than what Whitley is likely to give the Yankees for the rest of the season.

The problem with Jackson is the Yankees may not have room for a struggling Jackson for the next two seasons. New York will presumably have CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, and Ivan Nova already in their rotation for the next two seasons. Shane Greene has shown he belongs in the rotation and New York also has a ton of pitching upside front-lined by Manny Banuelos. If Jackson were on a one year deal I may say go ahead and get him but he's not, so I won't.

Open Game Thread 7/20: Yankees vs. Reds 7/20


Welcome to this afternoon's open game thread for the game between the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds. This is the finale of the three game set between these two teams at Yankee Stadium this weekend. The Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face off with Yankee killer Johnny Cueto for the Reds. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with WFAN.

Remember to get your Yankees tickets for this game or especially for Derek Jeter Day on September 7th before those tickets get absolutely not affordable. You can get those right here on the blog through our friends at Ticket Monster. If you can't see your team live then join us on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes or find us on Facebook by searching for The Greedy Pinstripes to keep the conversation going.

It's called an open thread for a reason so chat about whatever you want in the comments section of the site. Get to talking with other members of the Yankees family and enjoy the game and the rest of your weekend. Go Yankees!

Johnny Cueto Has Trouble Hanging Onto The Ball


Cueto must be throwing a spit ball or something. Definitely not using pine tar though... 

Girardi: Betances Should've Pitched in All Star Game

After Tuesday's All Star Game concluded without Yankees Reliever Dellin Betances ever getting a chance to pitch, the youngster made sure the media knew that he wasn't upset about what transpired.

The 26-year-old rookie, currently 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA, was the only non-starter on the AL team who wasn't used, an unlucky happening you'd expect to at least frustrate him.

However, so far that doesn't appear to be the case, although his Manager Joe Girardi has now come out and claimed that all players on the roster should play, an opinion he recently revealed to The Star Ledger's Kevin Manahan.

"I would have liked to have seen him get in," Girardi said Saturday. "Obviously, you don't want to see him go two or three innings, but I understand that. You have to hold somebody back. That's why I talk about if you go, you should get a chance to play in the game. I really do. But that is not the way it is."

In the Mid Summer Classic's top of the ninth, Red Sox Manager John Farrell put in Twins' Closer Glen Perkins to finish things, even allowing him to get three outs. 

Now while Farrell's wanting to please the home crowd here is understandable, letting one man go a full inning is not exactly common, making Girardi's argument legitimate.

It would've been easy for Farell to let Betances face a hitter in that last frame, but instead the former seemed to be more concerned with a perfect ending, something most competitive sports simply aren't about.

Yankees Game Preview 7/20: vs. Cincinnati Reds


The New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds will play in the finale of their three game weekend set at Yankee Stadium this afternoon in what should be a pitchers duel. The Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face off with the Reds ace Johnny Cueto. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Kuroda has had a roller coaster of a season but was sharp his last time out pitching seven innings and allowing two runs against the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees lost the game in 11 innings but Kuroda will look to build on his performance. Kuroda should be sharp as he will be on eight days rest this afternoon.

Cueto pitched the Sunday before the All Star Game and got his 10th win of the season over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cueto pitched 6.1 innings and allowed three runs on five hits holding down a hot and impressive Pirates offense. Cueto has been impressive against the Yankees in his career and owns a 2-1 record with 1.89 ERA in three starts against New York.

Get your Yankees tickets for this afternoon's game as the Yankees present 1999 World Series Championship replica ring giveaway day. You get cheap Yankees tickets without fees and shipping costs, a pitchers duel, and a World Series ring. Sounds like a great Sunday to me, buy now. 

Go Yankees!!

Dellin Betances, Mariano Rivera, and Comparisons


The Yankees manager Joe Girardi had an interview with ESPN's Andrew Marchand recently and all but compared Mariano Rivera's 1996 season to Dellin Betances' 2014 season. That sounds really familiar, probably because I wrote the same exact thing SEEN HERE on June 3. Just for fun, since we were on the subject, I decided to take a look at the stats through 95 games in their first full season with New York and the stats may surprise some. For simplicity sake I wen't through June to be posted here or this would be a nine mile long post, you get the gist though.

Mariano Rivera 1996:

Rk Date Inngs Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR HBP ERA BF Pit Str StL AB Entered
1 Apr 6 6-7 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.00 6 23 17 5 6 6b --- 0 out d2
2 Apr 11 6-7 1.0 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0.00 7 36 19 7 4 6t --- 0 out a4
3 Apr 13 6-7 1.2 1 1 1 2 3 0 0 1.93 8 39 23 3 6 6t 1-3 1 out d1
4 Apr 16 8-GF(8) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.59 3 15 11 3 3 8b --- 0 out d4
5 Apr 17 6-7 2.0 3 2 2 2 3 0 0 3.52 10 52 35 9 8 6b --- 0 out d5
6 Apr 19 4-6 3.0 3 0 0 1 5 0 0 2.53 13 63 42 8 12 4b 12- 0 out d3
7 Apr 22 6-8 H(1) 3.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1.98 9 9 6b --- 0 out a3
8 Apr 26 6-8 W(1-0) 3.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1.62 10 9 6t 12- 0 out d4
9 Apr 28 6-8 W(2-0) 3.0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 1.37 10 55 38 3 9 6t --- 0 out d1
10 Apr 30 7-8 H(2) 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.25 6 6 7b 1-3 0 out a3
May Inngs Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR HBP ERA BF Pit Str StL AB Entered
11 May 3 7-8 W(3-0) 2.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1.14 8 7 7t --- 0 out tie
12 May 5 7-8 H(3) 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.05 6 36 20 5 6 7t --- 0 out a2
13 May 12 6-8 H(4) 2.1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.96 8 8 6b 1-- 2 out a1
14 May 15 6-7 1.1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0.92 4 16 13 1 4 6t -2- 2 out d4
15 May 17 9-GF S(1) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.89 3 8 7 3 3 9t --- 0 out a3
16 May 18 9-GF S(2) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.88 1 4 3 0 1 9t 12- 2 out a4
17 May 21 8-GF 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.83 7 19 14 3 7 8t --- 0 out a4
18 May 25 7-8 H(5) 2.0 2 1 1 1 2 0 0 1.04 9 45 29 4 7 7b --- 0 out a2
19 May 31 7-8 H(6) 2.0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0.98 7 6 7b --- 0 out a1
June Inngs Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR HBP ERA BF Pit Str StL AB Entered
20 Jun 2 7-8 H(7) 1.1 2 2 2 0 1 0 1 1.42 7 6 7b -2- 1 out a2
21 Jun 4 7-8 H(8) 2.0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 1.35 9 39 31 4 7 7t -2- 0 out a1
22 Jun 7 7-8 BS(1) 2.0 2 1 1 0 3 0 0 1.50 8 30 21 2 8 7b 1-- 0 out a2
23 Jun 10 7-8 H(9) 2.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1.43 8 8 7b --- 0 out a2
24 Jun 16 6-8 H(10) 2.2 3 1 1 1 5 0 0 1.54 12 59 39 8 11 6t --- 0 out a2
25 Jun 21(2) 6-8 3.0 3 1 1 0 5 0 0 1.63 12 47 35 5 12 6b --- 0 out a5
26 Jun 25(2) 6-8 H(11) 3.0 1 0 0 1 5 0 0 1.54 11 50 33 7 10 6b 12- 0 out a4
27 Jun 28 7-9 L(3-1) 2.1 4 3 3 2 2 1 0 1.96 12 47 32 6 10 7t --- 0 out tie
30 Jul 4 8-8 H(14) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.86 3 16 9 3 3 8t --- 0 out a2
107.2 73 25 25 34 130 1 2 2.09 425
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/19/2014.

Dellin Betances 2014:
Year Age W L W-L% ERA G GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9
2014 ★ 26 4 0 1.000 1.42 41 5 1 57.0 23 9 9 1 16 87 281 1.31 0.684 3.6 0.2 2.5 13.7
It is also worth mentioning, and has been mentioned here on the blog a few times, that John Wetteland was 30 years old when the Yankees let him go after the 1996 season. David Robertson is currently 30 years old and a free agent after the 2014 season. Obviously that was a different time and the Yankees had many more financial restrictions back then but as long as both seasons end in a World Series victory I'll take it.