Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers 4/22


And let’s get out there and let’s beat those Tigers! Game time! That’s what I assume a pregame speech sounds like from Joe Girardi anyway but I’m probably really far off. Anyway I digress because it is game time between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers, the third game of their four game set this week at Comerica Park. Tonight the pitching matchup will include Adam Warren for the Yankees and David Price for the Tigers in a game that will be televised at 7:08 pm ET on the YES Network and MLBTV.

The Yankees return home to the Bronx and to Yankee Stadium this weekend for big series with the New York Mets and the Tampa Bay Rays so have your Yankees tickets in hand for when those teams come to town. By clicking the Yankees Tickets link above this post on the blog you can get your Yankees tickets in hand and still have a few dollars to eat at NYY Steak or the Hard Rock CafĂ© inside the stadium through our friends at Ticket Monster. If you can cook a better steak on your grill at home then, first and foremost share with me, jump on our comments section and interact with your fellow Yankees family. If you’re into social media like I am you can also jump on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) and live tweet with us during (almost) every single game.


But that’s enough out of me I now have the weirdest craving for some steak. I’m going to go eat and watch those Yankees tame some Tigers. Go Yankees!

Bernie Williams Finally Retires After 9 Years


Here's the announcement from the Yankees:

The New York Yankees announced today that Bernie Williams will formally sign his retirement papers at a press conference on Friday, April 24, at 5:45 p.m., in the Yankee Stadium press conference room. He will be joined by Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman and Assistant General Manager Jean Afterman.
During Friday’s press conference, the Yankees will unveil a logo related to his number retirement and Monument Park plaque dedication, which will take place on Sunday, May 24, prior to the Yankees’ 8:05 p.m. game vs. Texas.
Additionally on Friday ? in an on-field ceremony at approximately 6:45 p.m. ? the Hard Rock Cafe will debut a souvenir pin that honors Williams. Fifteen percent of net sales from the pins will go to Hillside Food Outreach (www.hillsidefoodoutreach.org).
Williams will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Friday’s 7:05 p.m. game vs. the Mets.
Williams played his entire 16-year Major League career with the Yankees (1991-2006), batting .297 (2,336-for-7,869) in 2,076 games with the club. In franchise history, the former centerfielder ranks third in doubles (449), fifth in hits, sixth in games played and runs scored (1,366) and seventh in home runs (287) and RBI (1,257). The five-time American League All-Star (1997-2001), four-time Gold Glove winner (1997-2000) and Silver Slugger Award recipient (2002) won the American League batting title in 1998, leading the league with a .339 batting average.
A four-time World Series champion in pinstripes (1996, ’98, ’99, 2000), Williams is the Yankees’ all-time postseason leader in home runs (22) and RBI (80), ranks second in playoff runs scored (83), hits (128) and doubles (29) and is third in games played (121). He was named the 1996 ALCS MVP after batting .474 (9-for-19) with 6R, 2HR and 6RBI in the Yankees’ five-game series win vs. the Orioles. In Game 1 of the 1999 ALCS vs. Boston, he hit a 10th-inning, “walk-off” home run to win the game for the Yankees.

Yankees Claim Matt Tracy Off Waivers


And the Matt Tracy parade continues to go round and round. The New York Yankees called up Tracy two weeks ago for a fresh arm in the bullpen and ultimately designated him for assignment after one appearance. The Yankees were hoping that Tracy would clear waivers and could be stashed back in Scranton on the Triple-A team but the Miami Marlins jumped on him and gave him a 25 man roster spot.

Tracy lasted in Miami all of four days before the Marlins designated him for assignment. New York has once again claimed Tracy back off waivers and have stashed him back in Triple-A with the RailRiders. So the plan ultimately worked just with a whole lot more paperwork and a new jersey or two for Mr. Tracy.

Welcome back.

Weekly Check In: Aaron Judge


We have been doing these weekly check ins on Jacob Lindgren, Luis Severino and Robert Refsnyder so it only felt right to also do one on one of the Yankees top prospects, Aaron Judge. Judge may be a household name in a year or two playing right field in the Bronx so we may as well get to know him now, right? 
YearTmGPARH2B3BHRRBIBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
2015Trenton10464121026214.279.326.442.768
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/21/2015.

Andy Ibanez, Cubans Face More Than We Think


There has been an explosion of Cuban talent heading over to the Major Leagues, whether legally or illegally, in recent years which is evident by the fact that 74 Cuban born players were on major or minor league rosters on Opening Day. In 2014 we saw 63 Cuban born players on MLB and MiLB rosters and we have seen a steady climb since the 2008 season when there were just 29 players. Andy Ibanez, the speedy second baseman and the youngest player for Team Cuba in the last World Baseball Classic, seems to be the next ball to drop sometime this season and the New York Yankees are interested. Whether they sign him or not remains to be seen, and honestly isn’t the point of this article, but when yous top and think about it could you imagine being Mr. Ibanez right now?

Sure Ibanez is going from a country that paid no more than $2,500 a month (if you’re lucky) to a country whose average player makes over $4 million but it’s not all about money. Cuban players who legally leave the country have eight years before they can come back to the island country and forever to wait if they leave illegally like Ibanez. Ibanez left behind family, friends and everything he has ever known to learn a whole new set of laws, customs, a new language, paying income taxes, autograph seekers, paparazzi, people trying to take advantage of his ignorance, etc. All Ibanez will know when he officially hits the states is his name and how to play the game of baseball. That’s scary!

This may be why the Yankees are shy about signing these Cuban born players and throwing them into the zoo that is Yankee Stadium and the zoo that is the Bronx in general. New York has chewed up and spit out a many of player, no matter where they were born, and the team has some of the roughest fans in the game right now. Signing these players is like signing anyone else, it’s an investment to Hal Steinbrenner and company, and for some New York is the last place that they want to be and the last place that they should be. This article wont appease the fans who long for their own Yasiel Puig, Yoan Moncada or Yoenis Cespedes but there is more to it then just “here’s your $70 million contract now go win me a World Series” and many of you reading this should remember that.


Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers 4/22


The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers face off for the third time this week inside Comerica Park in what will likely be another pitcher’s duel in Mo-Town. Both teams have pitched well this series and the games have come down to timely hitting, good pitching both from the rotation and the bullpen and fundamentals. Tonight the New York Yankees will look to keep that game plan going with Adam Warren on the mound as he faces off with David Price for the Detroit Tigers. The game will be played at 7:08 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

  • Warren has not pitched as well this season when the games have counted as he did when he won the Yankees 5th starter job in spring training. Warren is coming off a start in which he allowed two home runs in just four innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. Had it not been for the Yankees offense Warren and the team would have taken the loss in the contest.


  • Price is coming off a start in which he allowed just four hits and one earned run to a heavy hitting Chicago White Sox lineup. Price earned the victory but allowed his first earned run of the season in three contest after striking out nine batters in eight innings. Price has pitched beautifully this season and has a history of shutting down the Yankees so this is going to be a tough game for the New York offense.


I predicted a sweep of Detroit in the Mega Prediction Game that we run on the blog and while that’s not happening I would realistically be okay with a split. To leave Detroit with a .500 record of 8-8 before heading home to play host to the New York Mets and the Tampa Bay Rays wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Hopefully New York can take a big step towards that goal tonight in Detroit with a victory. Go Yankees!


Early Team Leaders

While I was aware of some of the following things, I decided to look a little further into Yankees statistics, and here's what I found...

The three men that are tied for the team lead in home runs are Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixiera, and Stephen Drew. While Tex isn't a big surprise, who thought ARod would be hitting like this? A .411 OBP? An OPS of .600? Oh, and Stephen freakin Drew? Seriously? Plenty of fans didn't even want two of these three guys on the team (possibly all three if you include those that would rather see Greg Bird than Teixiera at first).

"Can you get off my back, already?"

Only two Yankees have hit triples this year. Would that be Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury? No. Well, one of them is Brett or Jacoby, right? Nope. One of those guys is Brian McCann, a man not known for being "fleet of foot", while the other player with a triple has only appeared in 7 of the team's 14 games... Garrett Jones.

Chris Young, the same guy that hit .200 for the Oakland Athletics last season, currently leads the Yankees in batting average at .344.

So what Yankees starter has the best ERA this season? Would it be the #1 starter Masahiro Tanaka? Their #2 starter Michael Pineda? CC Sabathia? No, no, and no. Nathan Eovaldi has the best ERA out of the five starters with a mark of 3.12.

Why stop with the Yankees? Let's look across MLB...

While Adrian Gonzalez leads MLB in batting average, I'm willing to bet that very few people outside of Coors Field have heard of the man with the next highest batting average in the league... DJ LeMauhieu.

Alongside the aforementioned Adrian Gonzalez, Adam Jones, Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt, Hanley Ramirez, and JD Martinez, the man tied for second in home runs in MLB is Luis Valbruena of the Houston Astros.

The MLB leader in ERA finished last season at 4.55. but has yet to give up a run in his first two starts this season. That man is the Texas Rangers' Nick Martinez.

Am I saying that Chris Young will be the Yankees best hitter by season's end? Will Nathan Eovaldi be the team's best starter? No... I'm not saying that at all. Just like I'd never say that DJ LeMauhieu will finish 2015 with the highest batting average in the league. Nor would I say that Luis Valbuena will be in the top three of home run hitters across MLB.

"Not even I believe that. Hell, I bet you didn't even know who I was."

Guys... it's been 14 games. That means that over 90% of regular season games remain to be played. Chances are Didi Gregorius will not have an OBP of .233. And before any of you start falling in love with Stephen Drew, you should realize that he's probably not going to be among the team's top home run hitters. Just like how Michael Pineda should finish the season with a sub-5.00 ERA.

I don't know about you, but the way this team started the season, I'm kinda psyched that they are 7-7. Not to mention that one of those wins came at the hands of a team tied with the most wins in MLB... the Tigers. And the Yankees are scoring runs! Who would have thought that would happen?

I'm saving my judgments for a little while longer. Perhaps you should too.

USA Today’s Weekly Power Rankings


We’re back once again with our weekly look at the power rankings on USA Today. This is the second week we’ve posted these on the blog and last time we checked in we saw the New York Yankees sitting at the #28 spot while the Detroit Tigers, the team the Bronx Bombers play tonight, were at the #1 spot. Many teams have switched placed including dramatic jumps for the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants but did the Yankees make a jump after sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend?

First things first and that’s still the Detroit Tigers who may be the best team in baseball this season despite injuries to Justin Verlander and Joe Nathan. The Dodgers have jumped into the #2 hole up from the sixth spot last week while the St. Louis Cardinals stayed in the third spot. Rounding out the top five is the Kansas City Royals who dropped two spots and the Boston Red Sox who dropped one spot.

As far as the American League East goes outside of the Red Sox being #5 the division showcases the #6 team in the Baltimore Orioles, the #11 team in the Toronto Blue Jays, the #21 team in the Tampa Bay Rays and the #19 team in the New York Yankees.

The New York Mets jumped 13 spots all the way to the #7 position while the San Francisco Giants fell 12 spots to the #25 position. Rounding out the Top 30 is the Texas Rangers, Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins and the Milwaukee Brewers in the 26-30 spots respectively.

Like we said last week, three weeks into the season what do these rankings untilately mean? Absolutely nothing. Stay tuned. 

TGP Daily Poll: David Price’s ERA Rises



David Price has allowed just one run this season, a solo home run against CHW, but will give up at least two earned runs against New York on Wednesday. Doesn’t mean he will lose to the Yankees though.


Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

RiverDogs Return Home to a Packed Promotional Schedule


 RiverDogs Return Home to a Packed Promotional Schedule
Four-game series features a special visit from the Budweiser Clydesdales and Brewmaster Tour, Fireworks, “Tune Squad” jersey giveaway and Kids ClubSunday



CHARLESTON, SC – Following a seven-game road trip, the Charleston RiverDogs return home for four games against SAL Southern Division rival and New York Mets affiliate, the Savannah Sand Gnats, and bring the “Subway Series-South” to The Joe for the first time this season.

Thursday, April 23, 6:05 pm: The first game of the homestand will be delayed just a bit as the RiverDogs and Sand Gnats will complete the game of April 19 at 6:05 pm, in which the R’Dogs were leading, 8-3, in the sixth inning when rain forced the game in Savannah to be suspended. After that contest reaches its completion, the second game will start approximately 30-40 minutes afterwards. That game features a special visit from the Budweiser Clydesdales and the King of Beers’ Brewmaster Tour on this Budweiser Thirsty Thursday, the second of 10 Thirsty Thursdays presented by 95SX. The Clydesdales will set up in adjacent Brittlebank Park at 5 pm, and their visit will be free to the public. In addition to the Clydesdales' appearance, Budweiser will also bring their Brewmaster Tour to Riley Park. This is a one-of-a-kind mobile experience providing guests 21 and over a glimpse of Budweiser's brewing process. Fashioned after Budweiser's Brewery Tours, the 48-foot trailer evolves into a model that offers consumers a step-by-step view of the 30-day brewing process of Budweiser. Fans can enjoy “Happy Hour” with $1 beers in the Ashley View Pub presented by Budweiser and listen to DJ Natty Heavy spin popular tunes throughout the game. Nearly 7,800 fans came out to the last Thirsty Thursday and expect to see a packed house at The Joe once again. Thursday is also the Charleston County School District Educators Night, and the Teacher of the Year will be announced and honored during the game.

Friday, April 24, 7:05 pm: This is the second ISHPI Red Shirt Friday of the season and it is presented by WEZL, with postgame fireworks over the scenic Ashley River presented by Home Telecom. Support the military by wearing red and when you come to the box office, you can and receive $1 off your ticket. Fans will have the option to donate that dollar to Canines for Veterans, who will once again bring “Titus the Bat Dog” to perform his bat boy duties during the game. The RiverDogs will wear special red jerseys as a show of support for our military. We will also be celebrating Arbor Day all evening with fun for the whole family. The club will present a ceremonial planting of a Crepe Myrtle outside The Joe in the adjacent VIP parking lot at 6 pm. The new tree is part of the 10,000 Trees for Charleston Initiative, and one lucky fan will be able to take home a five-foot Live Oak tree.



Saturday, April 25, 6:05 pm: Join us for a night of fun as The Joe turns into "A Looney Night in Space," as fun-loving “Looney Land” and the “Tune Squad” takes over the park. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck will be in attendance and will challenge patrons in basketball and additional fun and games on the concourse. There will be an authentic space rock for fans to view up close, a “Star Lab” outside the front gates and a Smart Board with which to explore Mars. Don’t be late to this game as the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Bill Murray “Tune Squad” jersey, presented by WCIV ABC Channel 4 and Kickin' 92.5. Ever dream of rounding third base and heading for home at The Joe? Saturday night is your chance to make that dream come true. Kids will be able to run around the diamond every Saturday, with the Postgame Kids Run the Bases program presented by CPI Security Systems.



Sunday, April 26, 5:05 pm: Every Sunday at The Joe is a Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission Kids Club Sunday, presented by Y102.5. Parking is free, and kids 12-under eat free courtesy of Pepsi. They will receive a coupon for a hot dog, fountain drink and chips. All members of the RiverDogs Kids Club receive free admission to every Family Sunday Game. The RiverDogs Kids Club, known as the RiverPups, is free to join and open to all kids 12-and-under. The Summerville High School Steel Drum Band will be performing at the front gates of the park, greeting fans as they enter, and will lead in the singing of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch. Also, the Beach Jugglers will be performing between innings. Additionally, Sunday is the “RiverDogs Salute to the Islands,” which means we will be having fun with all our loyal RiverDogs fans from the local islands. Stick around after the game to receive free autographs from all of your favorite RiverDogs players down on the field.

Support Autism Awareness!


Recap: Yankees 5, Tigers 2

Nathan Eovaldi threw an unexpected jem, yielding just one earned run over a nice seven innings as the Yankees beat the Tigers, 5-2, on Tuesday night at Comerica Park.

Eovaldi's First Yankees Win: Eovaldi surrendered eight hits in his seven frames, but thanks to four double plays and strikeouts on the evening, retained a 1-0 lead from the first to the seventh. He escaped a men-on-the-croners, one-out jam in the third with a rundown and a lineout -- a pretty impressive feat considering Anthony Gose and Ian Kinsler were the hitters he retired.

Lobstein Counters: Tigers starter Kyle Lobstein didn't go quietly against Eovaldi, however, holding the Yankees' offense to one run and three hits in the contest's first six innings. Mark Teixeira drove in that lone run with a double in the first, giving the Yanks the slim advantage they would cling to for awhile.

Insurance: It wasn't until the top of the seventh that the Yankees would put up a three spot off the Tigers' relief core, getting a pair of solo homers from Chris Young and Stephen Drew to finally find some breating room. Detroit lefty Ian Krol served up the long balls early in the at-bat, with an Al Albuquerque wild pitch also plating a Yankees run later on.

Betances Shines: The Tigers still weren't done fighting, though, and in the eighth the Yankees needed a great outing from Dellin Betances to keep them from chipping away. Eovaldi had allowed a double to kickoff the inning, but Betances ensured that runner would never advance with two strikeouts and a popout. 

Miller Closes it Out: Andrew Miiller then struck out Jose Iglesias to finish the game in the ninth -- the Tigers having scored a run and loaded the bases on two hits and two walks. Miller entered the inning with two on and two out, strangely walking back-to-back before ending the rally with a foul tip.

Next Up: Adam Warren will look to build on the Yankees' momentum Wednesday when he takes on David Price in the third volume of this series -- beginning at 7:08 p.m. ET and airing live on the YES Network. Warren will be attempting to rebound from a rough start in St. Petersburg on Friday when he and Price face off for the first time ever in The Motor City -- Price hoping to further prove the legitamacy of his 0.40 April ERA. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/22: Yankees Turn the Triple Play


On this day in 2010 Alex Rodriguez started the Yankees first triple play since 1968 against the Oakland Athletics in a loss. The scoring on the play would be the traditional 5-4-3 triple play.

Also on this day in 1997 Yankees rookie Chase Wright would give up four consecutive home runs to the Boston Red Sox. The batters that would hit the historic home runs were Manny Ramirez, JD Drew, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek.

Also on this day in 1915 the Yankees would don the pinstripes for good after abandoning the fashion for the 1913 and 1914 seasons.


Finally on this day in 1903 the New York Highlanders, which are currently known as the New York Yankees, would play their first game in the franchise’s history, a loss to the Washington Senators.