Saturday, September 12, 2015

Wow, What a Day... Open Thread


The title says it all, wow…. What a day. The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays played a single admission double header today and will be right back at the ballpark tomorrow afternoon for the finale of this four-game set. Thank God these games don’t mean anything and they are in September so some of the fresh arms and prospects that came up when rosters expanded could get a chance to play. No one wants to see another Moonlight Graham (Google is your friend). But anyway enough with the tongue in cheek commentary and on with the open thread for the night.


I leave you with this song that I have had on repeat for most of the day. I don’t know why, I just like it. The name of the song is “The Hills” and the artist goes by the name “The Weeknd.” That is not a typo, enjoy the rest of your day!

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 9/12 GAME TWO


The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays will play in the biggest game of the season since the game that just ended here moments ago in the Bronx. Just as fast as last night’s game becomes irrelevant and the first game of the double-header is stored away in history forever, for lack of a better word, today’s game will fade away regardless of the outcome as each team prepares for the finale tomorrow afternoon inside Yankee Stadium. That’s baseball, that’s just how it is. Anyway, the Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound this afternoon looking to harness some of those “Super Nova” powers as the Blue Jays counter with Marcus Stroman. The game will be played at approx. 4:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. 

The Yankees are staying in town for one more game after today before setting back out onto the road giving you just one more shot to see the team live and in person. Can you believe that it’s already September 12th? This year, and baseball season, has absolutely flown by and I haven’t had nearly enough fun but if you want to have some fun simply click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and go see the home team before they’re gone. Also be sure to go on Twitter and give @GreedyStripes a follow to interact with us and root for the Yankees during each and every game this season.


The Yankees offense is ready to welcome Stroman back to the Major Leagues rather rudely and Nova is ready to go all Mother’s Day on the Jays offense. I hope. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 9/12 GAME TWO


The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays are set to face off in their third game of this huge four-game set tonight inside Yankee Stadium. This series has been all it’s cracked up to be and more and has absolutely lived up to the hype depending on what team you root for. The lineups for the second game of the double-header should be drastically different than the first game with these two contests being played back-to-back. In the second game the Yankees look to take that next step closer to the top of the American League East Division as they send Ivan Nova to the mound to face off against the Jays starter Marcus Stroman. The game will be played at approx. 4:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

  • Nova heads into this second game of the double header looking to remain consistent and looking to continue to grow better with every start. Ever since battling a tired arm against the Texas Rangers earlier int he season Nova has gotten better and better with his command and effectiveness on the mound and has kept the Yankees in almost every single start, something that has not gone without notice from the Yankees manager. 


  • Stroman will be making his first start of the season after tearing his ACL muscle in his knee during Spring Training 2015. It was originally diagnosed as a season-ending injury for Stroman but the young right-hander worked his way all the way back from the injury and will make his season debut this afternoon in the Bronx.



The Jays presumably have no idea what to expect out of Stroman in this start which is either a good thing or a bad thing for New York. Stroman could be filthy and fully healthy after tearing his ACL before Opening Day or he could have been rushed in his progression and rehab as the team feels the pressure to reach the postseason for the first time since I’ve watched baseball religiously in my lifetime. Only one way to find out, tune into the game in a couple of hours and watch Nova go from Nova to Super Nova with every passing inning. Go Yankees. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 9/12 GAME ONE


The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays will continue their four game series this weekend with the second game of the series coming today in the Bronx. Both teams headed into this series reeling from series losses against the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles respectively and both teams will look to take out some aggression from bad play out on each other. This is the first game of a single admission double-header inside Yankee Stadium today so if you've got a ticket to this afternoon's game I hope you packed a lunch. Today the Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound looking to hold the Toronto offense in check while the Blue Jays counter with Marco Estrada looking to make the Bronx Bombers bomb-less. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on FOX and MLB TV.

The Yankees and Blue Jays go head-to-head two more times this weekend in what is probably one of the tougher tickets to get in town. These games are expected to draw a lot of attention and a lot of fans to the ballpark so be sure to get your tickets now by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog. If you can’t make it out to the ballpark live then that’s not a problem, you can always give @GreedyStripes a follow on Twitter and interact with us while we root for the home team from afar.


Pineda is ready to shut down the very right-handed heavy Blue Jays lineup and the Yankees offense is ready to get back into the driver’s seat in this division. Let’s watch, Go Yankees!

Bob Nightengale is Drinking the Kool-Aid


Bob Nightengale is apparently a fan of the “red” flavored Kool-Aid that is being passed around by Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz because with his latest piece for the USA Today he went way off course. Nightengale didn’t beat around the bush in his article, SEEN HERE, either he got straight to the point making his case for Ortiz to be sent to Cooperstown, New York four years after his playing career is over. His opinion is his opinion and I respect him for it but sometimes a writer tends to dig his own hole, jump in it and begin to cover himself without even knowing it and Nightengale did just that in my opinion with this piece.

Here is a direct quote from the linked article above:



The man has 498 home runs, just two shy of the magical 500 mark that gains automatic entrance into the Hall of Fame, with the exception of those who have been caught, or linked to performance-enhancing drugs.

“With the exception of those who have been caught or linked to performance-enhancing drugs.” Oh you mean like the Mitchell Report in 2007 that showed Ortiz had a failed drug test? That same Mitchell Report that is keeping Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and will likely keep Gary Sheffield out of the Hall of Fame this season despite him hitting that “magical 500 mark that gains automatic entrance into the Hall of Fame?”


Bob, you can talk about the decline in home run hitting since drug testing was implemented and you can mention that Ortiz was not mentioned in either the BALCO scandal or the Biogenesis clinic fallout but that does not and should not erase his failed drug test from back in 2003, whether he bought “the damn pills from the mall” or not. His postseason resume means squat unless you’re willing to look past Andy Pettitte’s HGH use and willing to consider him for the Hall based on his playing career and postseason stats, but they won’t. You respect Ortiz, and so do I as a player, but he’s not in the Hall of Fame unless everyone is in the Hall of Fame. Bottom line. You’re better than that. 

Gary Sanchez & Slade Heathcott Called Up From Scranton

Two more players are on their way up from Triple-A before the double header today as it was announced that catcher Gary Sanchez and outfielder Slade Heathcott were to be called up. More to come when lineups are released and such.

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 9/12 GAME ONE


The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays continue their four game set this weekend in the Bronx with their second matchup head-to-head this afternoon. Get comfortable Yankees family because it;s going to be a long day with this game being just the beginning. This is the first game of a single admission double-header today in the Bronx.  The Yankees wasted opportunity after opportunity in their last series against the Baltimore Orioles and are now stuck having to beat the Blue Jays to regain control of the American League East Division, something that has not come easy in 2015. Today in Game One the Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound to face off with the Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on FOX and MLB TV.

  • Pineda heads into this start this afternoon fresh off a decent outing against the Baltimore Orioles, Pineda started out rough and struggled with his command before finding the strike zone and his feel for his curve ball which he used to throw six strong innings overall. Pineda pitches six innings and allowed four earned runs before picking up the victory for the Yankees. 


  • Estrada has been lights out for the Blue Jays lately allowing two or fewer earned runs in 14 of his last 15 starts for the club. Estrada is likely to surpass his season-high innings total tonight inside Yankee Stadium leaving many to wonder how it will affect his on the field performance going forward.



The race for the American League East Division is on as these two teams play each other just six more times including this contest. Six more head-to-head matchups including today’s game that will all but decide the winner of the division. Both teams seems likely to head to the playoffs anyway barring a catastrophic collapse so this may not be the last we see of these two teams going at it. Let’s hope if one team is going to fold under the pressure it’s the Blue Jays and not New York. Go Yankees!

Quick Hit: Surviving 27 Innings in 24 Hours


The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays are set to play a whopping 27 innings, or more potentially, in less than 24 hours after the game on Thursday night was rained out in the Bronx. This is not going to be an easy feat for either team but it will be especially difficult for the Yankees since they have more to lose. How in the world is manager Joe Girardi going to navigate these three games and not shoot the team in the foot for the remainder of the season or for the foreseeable future?

The good news for the Yankees is that next Thursday they have an off day and face a team they have beat up on all season long in the Tampa Bay Rays Monday through Wednesday. The bad news is this is the last off day for the team until a potential playoff series. New York faces a trio of right-handed starting pitchers this weekend meaning the left-handed bats will be relied upon heavily. Expect Stephen Drew to play in at least two of these games, if not all three, while someone like a Greg Bird may have to play all three contests along with Chase Headley. The pitching is going to be the major concern for both teams though.

Girardi has already stated that he may have to pitch some of his pitchers three games in a row, something he hasn’t done all season, out of necessity. Chris Martin was called up from Triple-A for a fresh arm in the bullpen and he could end up pitching two or three nights if need be along with the trio of Chasen Shreve, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller. Adam Warren may have to be used for multiple innings as well as Chris Capuano just to get the team through and to save somebody, anybody, to pitch against the Rays on Monday.


It’s going to be a grueling grind but if the Yankees can blow out the Jays in one or two of these contests, and trust me the offense is due for a blowout, they may be just fine. 

Weekly Check In: Gary Sanchez


El Gary Sanchez was activated off the disabled list this week and was assigned to Triple-A to assist the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders in their chase for the Governor’s Cup. Sanchez battled with a hamstring injury a week before September call ups and has been on the disabled list ever since with the injury. Sanchez is apparently healthy enough to bat and run the bases a little but he’s not been cleared to play catcher as he has instead played the DH position. If Sanchez isn’t healthy enough or able to play catcher than it seems unlikely that New York would bring him up to the Major Leagues as a September call up when Scranton wraps up their postseason play.

New York has tied their own record for the most players to make their Major League debut’s in one season in 2015 and could break the over 100-year old record with one more debut. The only player currently on the 40 man roster that has not made his MLB debut is Sanchez so the stars have definitely aligned it’s now up to Yankees GM Brian Cashman to pull the trigger and break the record. Why wouldn’t you at this point? Nothing to lose bringing up Sanchez to sit on the bench and get into a blowout late, right?


Break the record, call up Sanchez. 

YearLevGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
2015AA-AAA934005010023186272978.274.330.485.815
2015AA58254336114123661850.262.319.476.795
2015AAA351461739962611128.295.349.500.849

This Day In New York Yankees History 9/12: Bernie Williams Has a Week of a Game


Not much has happened on this day in New York Yankees history surprisingly but Bernie Williams did have a week of it on this day in 1996. Bernie had two home runs and a single as he went on to knock in eight RBI helping the Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers by the score of 12-3.

Other notable happenings on this day in Major League Baseball history was on this day in 1979 the Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski collected his 3,000th hit of his career in a victory over the Yankees in Fenway Park. Also Sammy Sosa became the fourth player in major league history to hit 60 home runs in a single season on this day in 1998 as he joined Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, and Mark McGwire as McGwire and Sosa attacked Maris' single season home run record.