Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Open Game Thread 7/22 Yankees vs. Rangers


Welcome to tonight's open thread for the game between the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Chase Whitley will head to the mound for the Yankees and will face off with Nick Martinez for the Rangers. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on MY9, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with WFAN.

Remember to get your Yankees tickets HERE rather than a Stubhub or a Yankees ticket exchange and avoid the pricey shipping costs and fees associated with getting a ticket printed out on your printer at home. With Ticket Monster you get an actual ticket in hand for your scrapbook. If you can't make it to the game during this home stand then give us a follow on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes or find us on Facebook by searching for The Greedy Pinstripes to chat during the game.

It's an open thread so use the comments section of the site to chat during the game with Yankees fans across the country. Enjoy the game Yankees family and enjoy the rest of your evening. Go Yankees!

Breaking: Chase Headley Will Wear #12 For Yankees

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Breaking news out of Yankeeland the newly acquired Yankee Chase Headley will wear #12 for the team. The Yankees have had a few guys wear #12 in their history that have done pretty well. Anyone ever heard of Alfonso Soriano, Roger Clemens (for one season), Billy Martin, Jim Leyritz, or Wade Boggs? Welcome to the club Chase, follow Chase on Twitter by following @ChaseHeadley7.

Texas Rangers: Bandwagon Fans Since 2010 Meme


I think you can thank Cliff Lee, Ron Washington, and Nolan Ryan specifically for that...

Yankees, White Sox Discussing John Danks Trade


Brian Cashman has already turned less than stellar players Yangervis Solarte and Vidal Nuno into rentals of Brandon McCarthy and Chase Headley and he may not be done. The White Sox and the Yankees are reportedly talking a trade that would send starting pitcher John Danks to New York. Nothing is imminent but it's exciting that the Yankees are giving this a real shot this season.

Danks is only 29 years old and left handed but had a torn shoulder capsule in 2012 and hasn't pitched well since. His velocity is down since the surgery and has a 4.35 ERA and 4.70 FIP this season in 124 innings. Danks is still owed $35 million through the 2016 season which makes me think the Yankees should stay away. If they make the trade it had better come cheap, even then I might still disagree.

Stay tuned.


Yankees Game Preview 7/22 vs. Texas Rangers


The New York Yankees will host the Texas Rangers tonight in the second of a four game set this week at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will send Chase Whitley to the mound to face off with the Rangers Nick Martinez. The game will be played at 7:05 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.

Whitley has not made it past the fourth inning in his last three starts for the month of July, a scary trend for the Yankees. Whitley lasted just 68 pitches and 3.2 innings last time out against the Baltimore Orioles and took the loss on the game before the All Star break. Whitley will look to push his ERA below five with his first start of the second half and on eight days rest.

Martinez is being activated off the disabled list for tonight's start after being on the shelf since his July 1st start against the Baltimore Orioles. Martinez had discomfort in his left side but his pitched in two bullpen sessions since and has checked out okay.

Get your Yankees tickets for tonight's game and be a part of the Yankees cap night giveaway right here on the blog. You can also get in for any game during this 10 game home stand for some awesome promotions and giveaways. Get your tickets HERE on the blog. 

Go Yankees!!

Yankees Trade Solarte, Pitching Prospect to Padres for Headley

Over the last few years, many Yankees fans have dreamt of the team one day acquiring Padres Third Basemen Chase Headley.

The 30-year-old infielder, who hit .289 and .286 in 2011 and 2012, used to be considered every club's quick fix to their offensive problems, obviously making New Yorkers drool over the possibility of him wearing Pinstripes.

However, in the last two seasons Headley's numbers have decreased significantly, a fact that apparently doesn't bug the Yanks' front office, with YES Network's Jack Curry reporting today that GM Brian Cashman has acquired the veteran and cash in exchange for Yangervis Solarte and Pitching Prospect Rafael De Paula. 

So far in 2014, Headley hasn't been his usual self, batting just .229 with 7 home runs and 32 RBI. 

Still, it's tough to say he and his .329 average in July isn't an upgrade over the struggling Solarte, whose production has practically disappeared in recent months.

As for when Headley will make his debut, Curry also tweeted this afternoon that the Bombers are "hopeful" he'll be able to play tonight, as the Padres are currently in Chicago.

Either way, this deal is an exciting one to see happen, mainly because it'll probably end Kelly Johnson's time in the lineup.

Some Yankees Fans Really Continue To Dissapoint Me


The fans of the New York Yankees really disappoint me sometimes, especially when you make videos like this. Funny or Die posted a parody of the Derek Jeter "RE2SPECT" tribute only this time it was geared towards Alex Rodriguez and it was named "FL13K You." If funny or die are my only two options I guess I am going with the latter. How disrespectful and petty do you have to be to do something like this to kick the guy while he is down? This wasn't done by a Yankee fan, I don't believe a true Yankee fan would do this.

If you want to watch the video click the link, http://FunnyOrDie.com/m/9306. I know it was probably meant to be funny but it wasn't and it wasn't appreciated. Stay classy, stay respectful, and believe in Karma. Just imagine what you could accomplish if you put your obvious talent and resources to good use. Be the bigger and better person and get over it. He's human. When you go to church your sitting in a room full of sinners, not a room full of saints, and you and I and the guy down the road making pizza is no different than Alex.

You're better than this Yankee family, act like it.

Cliff Lee Traded To New York For Chase Whitley & Austin Romine In My Dream Last Night


My apologies if the title was a little misleading but my job is to get you guys and gals here to read my stuff, sorry. I have been really dreading Chase Whitley's next start since Chase Whitley's last start. Don't get me wrong I like the kid and he may have been our second best pitcher there for a minute but it seems like all the added innings may be finally taking their toll. Whitley was converted into a starter late last season after spending his entire career as a relief pitcher. Whitley has never thrown more than 91.0 innings in a season and has already thrown 54.2 this season. Has Whitley hit an innings wall and tiring out or has the rest of the league just figured him out?

Again I want to reiterate that I like Whitley so I hope it's just the former and not the latter but I really don't have anything to back it up either way. I do know one thing for sure though he is getting hit and getting hit hard in his last four or five starts. If the Yankees want to make a real run at this division or possibly a wild card they have to win at home and they have to beat the teams they are supposed to beat. Enter tonight's game with the Texas Rangers.

In my dream I woke up to a notification on my phone from MLB At Bat stating the Yankees traded Chase Whitley and Austin Romine for Cliff Lee. The Yankees would eat all of Lee's remaining salary and has agreed to automatically pick up his 2016 option as a part of the deal. I was ecstatic, do dreams come true?

Stay tuned.

Quick Hit: Once Again TGP Calls For Kyle Roller


I feel like we've been here before once or twice already this season. Mark Teixeira goes down with some minor little thing that will only take three or four days, maybe a week, to get over and he'll be fine. The Yankees then run out Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson, Francisco Cervelli, even Brendan Ryan out at first place in his place. We play without our biggest hitter in the middle of the lineup, we sacrifice infield defense, and we play with a short bench. Why?

Call up Kyle Roller. You're not using Yangervis Solarte anymore and you're really not using Ryan either so why not call up Roller? Roller is a 26 year old left handed first basemen and a legitimate backup at the position, something New York has lacked all season. Roller has a triple slash of .274/.364/.474 with 10 home runs in Triple-A this season in 63 games. Roller started the season in Trenton where he batted .385/.486/.808 with nine home runs and 23 RBI in 21 games.

The Yankees need to get cheaper and want to get cheaper. The Yankees need to get younger and want to get younger. The Yankees need a legit backup option at first base and they have one in Kyle Roller. So what are you waiting for?

Greene, Thornton Collapse in Sixth; Rangers Beat Yankees in Opener 4-2

Going into tonight's opener against the Rangers, there was no reason to believe that the Yankees would lose.

The then 50-47 team, coming off yesterday's walk-off, had just swept the Reds to begin the homestand, making 39-59 Texas look like an easy club to beat.

Still, due to one bad inning, the Yanks did fall in tough-to-watch fashion, with Shane Greene and Matt Thornton collapsing in the top of the sixth as the Rangers won easily 4-2.

During this one's first five frames, Greene committed three errors (yes, three), but thanks to five strikeouts and a few big plays from the offense he and the Bombers did have a 2-1 lead.

However, with two outs and nobody on in the aforementioned sixth, the Rangers began a ridiculous rally, causing a sac fly from Carlos Beltran and a solo home run from Jacoby Ellsbury to become worthless. 

Facing the red-hot Jake Smolinski with a 3-2 count, Greene allowed a routine single up the middle, followed immediately by a walk of Jim Adduci and a game tying knock just over the glove of Zealous Wheeler from the struggling Geovany Soto. 

After that disaster, and considering that he was at 113 pitches, Bombers Manager Joe Girardi finally decided to take the rookie out, replacing him with the rarely-reliable Matt Thornton.

Big mistake.

Entering the contest with two on, Thornton surrendered two more RBI hits to Rougner Odor and Shin-Soo Choo, putting Greene in line for the loss and eventually handing Miles Mikolas (7 1/3 IP, 2 ER) the W.

Subsequently, as expected, Thornton was removed without retiring anyone, capping off the action of one of the Pinstripes' most frustrating losses of the year, as Texas came into this one 4-24 in their last 28 and New York 4-1 in their last 5.

The Daily Dozen - July 22, 2014

THE DAILY   DOZEN
(Twelve Takeaways from Tonight's Game - July 22nd, 2014)

1. Both teams started with singles and neither pays off.  These teams may be the worst offensive teams in the history of the game.  Yes I am exaggerating, but when is the last time that both of these organizations were this poor at scoring runs or hitting home runs for that matter?

2. Leonys Martin robbed McCann in the 2nd inning.  Just filthy.
YOINK! (Photo Courtesy of MLB.com and My9)

3. Who is this Daniel Robertson guy that keeps getting singles?  I really don't recognize the Texas lineup what with Adduci, Martin, Chirinos, Odor, and Robertson...where did Hamilton and Cruz go? Wink, wink...

4. El Duque was on the My9 broadcast tonight.  Good ol' Orlando Hernandez.  Who wouldn't give their left arm for a pitcher like him in the rotation right now? Or Mike Mussina? I bet either one of those guys could still give the Yanks more than some of these current guys.
Bring Back El Duque!

5. Somehow Chase Whitley became Cy Young since his last start.  Over 6 innings he struck out 6 and gave up 6 singles (and 1 double).  Then Matt Thornton relieves him after a base hit in the 7th after he shut the Rangers out and had the opportunity to lose the game (re: Thorntoned).  Whitley must be pitching out of his mind to protect his place as the best Chase on the team (re: Chase Headley trade).

6. Wheeler is so slow that the ball can bounce off of Beltre and go to Andrus and he will still be out.  In all seriousness that was a great 5-6-3 put out by the left side of the Rangers infield.

7. Paul O'Neill brought up a good point about specialization.  Kids are playing baseball year round and I believe it is resulting in more Tommy John surgeries.  By the time kids make the major leagues they have literally YEARS of wear and tear on those ligaments throwing sliders, curveballs, and cut fastballs.  They don't play other sports and give their arms a rest.

8. I hate the shift...and so does Brian McCann.

9. Isn't it strange how certain players are going on or just coming off the DL?  Guys that the Yankees have reported interest in or that the blogosphere reportedly reports that the Yankees have interest in...Cliff Lee, Troy Tulowitzki...just a thought.
Tulowitzki on the DL with a strained mullet...

10. Who tries to bunt with 2 strikes?  The Texas Rangers that's who!  But seriously, you have to be pretty handy with the stick if you know what I mean...earn your keep...FOUL! Out...Texas is 5-24 in their last 29 games for a reason.  Of course they are 1-0 in their last 1 against the Bronx Bombless.

11.  August 7, 2009.  According to Michael Kay, that was the last date that there was a scoreless game going into the 7th inning at Yankee Stadium.  I can confirm that since I was at that game...it was a Friday night to remember in the Bronx...the kind of night that said "Hey--this team might just win the World Series".  Of course that Yankees team was 67-42 after the win and by the way...Alex Rodriguez was 2 for 7 that night with a walk-off 2-run homer in the bottom of the 15th knocking in Robinson Cano...anyone miss them yet?
Here's Proof (Screenshot Courtesy of ESPN.com)

12. Derek Jeter eclipses Gehrig once again.  He recorded his 535th double in his career surpassing Lou Gehrig for 1st on the Yankees all-time list.  He didn't have an extra base hit in his last 68 at-bats.  Why is he retiring again?
Couple of First-Ballot HOFers!

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/22: Mickey Mantle Plays Shortstop


As you probably know we like to bring you this day in New York Yankees history every single day for better or worse. Well today it's the worse as on this day in 2012 the Yankees set a franchise record and not one they want to remember. The Oakland Athletics would tie the game with a run in the bottom of the ninth inning and would later complete the sweep with a 5-4 walk off victory of the Yankees in the 12th inning. This marks the first time in Yankees history that New York was swept in a four game series while losing all four games by only one run. Ouch.

Also on this day in 2007 the Yankees knocked around Devil Rays pitcher Shawn Camp to the tune of three home runs and nine hits in 1.1 innings of relief. The Yankees would rout the Rays 21-4 and send the Yankee Stadium crowd home happy.

Finally on this day in 1954 Casey Stengel, probably the best manager of all time in my opinion, moved Mickey Mantle to shortstop from center field in the top of the 9th inning to add another bat to the lineup. Mantle would respond by hitting a walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to beat the White Sox 4-3.