Monday, September 22, 2014

Pineda's Gem Lifts Yankees to 5-0 Win Over Orioles

Michael Pineda tossed 7 1/3 shutout innings and Derek Jeter connected on a big two-run double tonight as the Yankees continued their recent hot streak with a 5-0 win over the Orioles. 

For this one's first 4 1/3 frames, interestingly, Pineda didn't even give up a baserunner, a nice way to begin the outing in which the O's mustered just one hit and the right-hander, whose record is now 4-5 and whose ERA is now 1.93, struck out eight.

Nonetheless, thanks to a similarly good first few at-bats by Baltimore's Wei-Yin Chen (6 IP, 4 R/2 ER) the contest remained scoreless until the bottom of third, when a Ryan Flaherty throwing error, a Jose Pirela triple off the left-center field wall in his first career plate appearance, and a groundout from the aforementioned Jeter gave the home team an early 2-0 advantage.

Then in the fifth, after another single from Pirela and a walk of Brett Gardner, the suddenly on-fire Jeter contributed again with said double down the left field line, a knock that acted as the dagger on the night with Pineda throwing so well and Chase Headley's adding of a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth.

9/22 Open Game Thread vs. Baltimore Orioles


Welcome to tonight's open thread for the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. Derek Jeter has four more games at Yankee Stadium in his playing career including tonight in the Bronx. The Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound looking to get Jeter the ultimate gift, a victory, and the Orioles will send Wei-Yin Chen on the mound trying to spoil the going away party. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with WFAN.

Get your Yankees tickets here on the blog to wish Derek Jeter goodbye. Also be sure to follow us on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes and like our page on Facebook by searching for The Greedy Pinstripes. 

It's an open thread so go crazy. Enjoy the game Yankees family. Go Yankees!

Yankees Claim Eury Perez from Washington


The New York Yankees have claimed center fielder Eury Perez from the Washington Nationals today. In a corresponding roster move lefty specialist Josh Outman was designated for assignment after pitching quite well for the Yankees. Perez is a right handed bat that can play all over the outfield and seems to be more of a speed first type guy than a power threat. I am thinking Perez relates more to Antoan Richardson than he does Carlos Beltran in his prime. Either way I don't have any issues with the move.

Tanaka Feeling Good After First Return Start

Yankees' ace Masahiro Tanaka is feeling good after his first return start Sunday.

Tanaka, 25, gave up just one earned run in 5 1/3 innings during the outing, helping the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 5-2 for their fourth win in five games.

"It's been a while since I've been back out there," Tanaka told The New York Daily News yesterday. "But overall I'm pretty satisfied with how I pitched today."

As he should be. In the contest, the first one he's been a part of since July 8, Tanaka surrendered just five hits while walking none, helping him collect his team-best thirteenth W of the season.

"I wanted to check to see how well my elbow responds, so in that sense it was a success," Tanaka said. "I felt like I was able to do all the things I wanted to do on the mound today."

The performance was Tanaka's seventeenth this year in which he allowed three earned runs or less. The only two where he failed to do so, which happened just before he suffered his arm injury, came against the Twins and Indians this summer, with Tanaka letting his opponents cross home four and five times in those competitions, respectively.

9/22 Game Preview vs. Baltimore Orioles


The New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles will play for the final time this season as the two start a four game set at Yankee Stadium tonight. This is officially Derek Jeter's final four home games of his career so this should be an emotional four games for us all. The Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound for his next to last start of the season. The Orioles will counter Mr. Pineda with Wei-Yin Chen. The game will be played at 7:05 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.

Pineda is coming off a start in which he took a loss against the Tampa Bay Rays last time out. Pineda pitched 5.1 innings and allowed just one earned run in the contest but fell victim to the Yankees struggling offense. Pineda made his first start off a four month disabled list stint against the Baltimore Orioles and will now make his next to last start of the season against them tonight.

Chen will go into this game looking for his 17th win of the season. Chen has a staggering .800 winning percentage this season by far leading the American League. Chen has not lost a decision since August 6 and has posted a meager 2.64 ERA during his win streak.

Get your Yankees tickets off the blog now as this is literally the last time Derek Jeter will play at Yankee Stadium in a series for the Yankees. This is it, Jeter retires in seven games including tonight. Buy now. 

Go Yankees!!

Beltran & Teixeira Both Hurt Again & Hurting The Team


Mark Teixeira was removed from Saturday afternoon's game against the Toronto Blue Jays with his wrist acting up once again. Teixeira has missed more than a month's worth of games this season for various injuries and recently caught some flak when he said he could not play through the injuries anymore. Teixeira reversed that stance this time around and announced that he was going to try a third cortisone shot this season in the wrist to try and finish out the season. Teixeira was not exactly knocking the cover off the ball before the wrist acted up again, in fact he had been struggling mightily for the entire second half, so is the cortisone shot going to help or hurt the team? I'm going with the latter.

The Yankees had a real scoring shot in the comeback attempt during that game but Brendan Ryan, who replace Teixeira at first base after the injury, was allowed to hit and ultimately struck out. When manager Joe Girardi was asked about yet another questionable decision in letting Ryan hit he announced that Carlos Beltran was unavailable due to his elbow barking yet again. Beltran, like Teixeira, is not tearing the cover off the ball so putting off his elbow spur surgery is likely hurting the team more than helping the team. 

I understand, and appreciate, the guys wanting to be out there to help the team win games as long as the team is mathematically still in this thing but there comes a point where you have to be realistic. The Yankees are not going to win out and they are not going to make the postseason this year. If the Yankees did make a miraculous run at the postseason you have to think they would have a better shot without the automatic outs that Teixeira and Beltran have become. If you and I can see it then why can't the Yankees organization and the players themselves?

Team over self guys and you're hurting the team right now. 

Looking Back: My Predictions For Comeback Player of the Year in 2014


My original picks for Comeback Player of the Year were Grady Sizemore for the American League and Matt Kemp for the National League. While we know for 100% sure that Sizemore will not win the award in the AL, he is currently with the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL, Kemp still has a shot. See below for the original post made back in March of this year. 


Grady Sizemore of the Boston Red Sox, as much as this pains me to say, will be the Comeback Player of the Year in the American League. Grady is finally healthy, for real this time, and has the chance to shine in Boston replacing Jacoby Ellsbury in center. While in Cleveland Grady had to be the man, the face of the franchise, and had to carry the team on his back. In Boston he can blend in and relax, as crazy as that sounds, and get back to doing what he does best. It kills me to write it but Grady Sizemore is going to be a great pickup for the Red Sox, one I have been clamoring for the Yankees to make for the past two offseasons.


For the National League I predict the Comeback Player of the Year will be Matt Kemp. Kemp is finally healthy and now has some competition in the Dodgers outfield with Yasiel Puig, Andre Either, and Carl Crawford. Kemp may actually have to earn his spot this time around, sort of anyway, and that should be motivation enough to bring back #BeastMode.


Shane Greene Should Be A Lock In 2015


The New York Yankees are likely to have many question marks surrounding their 2015 starting rotation but one of those question marks should not be Shane Greene. With Masahiro Tanaka coming back in 2015 surrounded by his partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, CC Sabathia returning from a degenerative knee condition and surgery, Ivan Nova returning from Tommy John surgery, Michael Pineda failing to stay healthy for the last three seasons in a row, and the uncertainty surrounding the returns of Hiroki Kuroda and Brandon McCarthy the Yankees may need Greene more than ever next season.

Greene was brought in and used out of necessity when the starting rotation was decimated my injury and has risen to the occasion time and time again. Sure Greene has had the normal and expected growing pains of all rookie starting pitchers but overall has been a huge piece of the rotation that has kept New York in the playoff hunt through September. Greene has put up a 5-3 record with a 3.24 ERA and with a little more run support may have a 4-1 record on the season.

Greene has been successful by missing bats and keeping the ball on the ground which are two things that are especially important in Yankee Stadium. I personally compare Greene to a better and more consistent version of Ivan Nova. With a starting rotation riddled with question marks and no real room to add from the outside Greene may be more important than ever for the Yankees in 2015.

TGP Daily Poll: Will The Yankees Run The Table?


Can the New York Yankees win out and run the table in their final seven games to at least make the Wild Card race interesting? Why not!

Vote in our poll!

Sneak Peak: Yankee Stadium Bases Used


The New York Yankees have four more games left this season at Yankee Stadium and the tributes to Derek Jeter continue with a limited edition set of bases on the base paths. These are pretty awesome, I'm not gonna lie. Happy Monday Yankees family, wake up!

This Day In New York Yankees History 9/22: Alfonso Soriano Lead Off HR


Alfonso Soriano was not always a middle of the lineup type hitter for the New York Yankees like we saw the second half of the 2013 season. At one point Soriano was a lead off hitter for New York and on this day in 2003 Soriano hit his 13th lead off home run of the season establishing a new major league record. Soriano would break the tie with the Baltimore Orioles Brady Anderson after he hit 12 leading of the game in 1996.

Also on this day in 1969 the great Willie Mays joined exclusive company when he joined Babe Ruth in the 600 home run club. It's not really New York Yankees history but the Giants Hall of Fame hitter achieved the feat with a seventh inning pinch hit two run home run off Padres pitcher Mike Corkins.