The ALMOST Daily Dozen - April 22nd Edition

The Daily Dozen - April 22, 2015 Edition

Twelve Takeaways from Last Night's Game:

1. The Yankees Dominate David Price.  Something fishy is going on here.  How can Mr. Price, former Cy Young award winner have a 0.40 ERA coming into last night's contest after his first 3 starts and then surrender 8 earned runs in 2-1/3 innings.  The Yankees have figured out Price's tell.  He's forecasting his pitches somehow.  It's the only way to explain how they could get NINE consecutive hits against him last season (the last time they saw him) and then score 6 runs in a blink in the first inning last night.

2. Each Yankee Got a Hit.  This wasn't so until Mark Teixeira hit his 5th bomb of the season in the 7th inning to push the score from 10-4 to 13-4.  In the olden days, if someone (say Alex Rodriguez) had done something like that the blogosphere would ignite with "he can only hit HRs when it doesn't matter."  Now this wouldn't necessarily ring true for Teix since he did hit one early on Monday night (the Yankees only run by the way), but his lackluster .204 average would beg to say that he is also FAR from a "clutch" or "hot" hitter right now.

"What's that dm23HOF? Come at me bro!"

3. How often do you see back-to-back triples?  It's one thing to see a team hit back-to-back Home Runs...that is easy in comparison.  Triples back to back is MUCH harder since it actually requires you to hit it relatively hard, relatively far (usually on a line drive), without hitting it out of the park, and to be fast.  Oh...and a little bit of luck.  Imagine my surprise when Carlos Beltran and Chase Headley hit triples back-to-back yesterday.  Isn't Beltran supposed to be slow now?  I bet he eats more triple cheeseburgers this year than he hits triples...

4. Sir Didi is Having a Rough Go.  Didi Gregorius is having a difficult time living up to the shadow of Derek Jeter.  Tino had the same problem after replacing Mattingly.  Sure...Gregorius was brought on as a defensive shortstop...I mean with a .205 average (.001 higher than Teixeira) he better be GREAT at defense!  Last night was not his best game with two strange decisions and one error in a matter of 2 innings.  But then he totally redeemed himself with 2 RBI later in the contest.

Wait...aren't you supposed to practice on your feet?

5. Adam Warren....SERIOUSLY!?!  You get spotted 6 runs in the 1st inning and then walk 4 batters?  Dude...just throw strikes.  I know, I know....easier said than done, but at the MLB level and a starter for the Yankees you should be expected to at least be able to hit the freaking strike zone with a 6-run lead.  Good thing the Yanks have Price's number!

6. Runs, Runs, and More Runs.  The Yankees have now outscored the Tigers 18-8 in the first 3 games of the season.  Prior to this series the Tigers were touted as the best team in the majors, let alone the A.L.  I believe the Yankees should have won game 1...

7. 15 Game Spotlight.  What can we tell from the Yankees after 15 games of which they went 8-7?  Well...they will hit a bunch one night and then have a drought.  There are really no .300 hitters on this team unless Ellsbury gets his act together, which of late he has.  The bloop and a blast is in full effect...after a slow start, the Yankees are now hitting some meaningful home runs again...not just solo HRs.  The pitching besides Tanaka and Sabathia the last time out is....just okay.  Give them another week for Pineda and Eovaldi to get really going and I'll give them a 'B' as a starting rotation.  Warren gets a D-.

8. A.L. Leaders.  Looking at a copy of the Columbus Dispatch, there is only one Yankee listed in the top-5 of any "meaningful" category...and that is Mark Teixeira with 13 RBI (#5 in the A.L.).  As Yankees fans, we are just not used to mediocrity...but that is what we got last season and looks like what we'll get this year as well.  Wait a minute...Gardner is tied for the lead in league steals with 5...good job Gardy!

9. Chris Young.  He is suddenly a beast.  Dude is hitting .368 and went 3 for 6 last night.  He doesn't quite qualify for a batting title but will likely see more time in the OF if he keeps blasting....especially against the Mets this weekend.  The NY Post has a good article on Chris HERE.

Courtesy of NYPost.com

10. Balls and Strikes.  The Yankees long known for striking out or hitting home runs (at least in the recent past) had 6 walks and 6 strikeouts last night.  This is a trend I would like to see continue as it bodes well for the win column.

11. It Snowed in Detroit on April 22nd.  Granted I am from the Frozen Tundra of NW Ohio, but seriously...it SNOWED in Detroit on April 22nd.  Good thing my parents were at the April 21st game instead of last night, ehh?  So much for Global Warming...

12. ONE GAME.  On April 23rd, 2015, the Yankees sit at 1 game behind the AL East leaders, Boston Red Sox.  Of course they are also 1 game from being in last place as the teams have played each other to a logjam of 9-6 to 7-8 records.  The AL East crown will come down to how the teams play against the other divisions and in Interleague play as they will undoubtedly continue to beat each other up into obscurity.