Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 7/27

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are just about set to kick off their huge four-game series this weekend in the Bronx with a Thursday night appetizer of sorts. In the opener of the four-game series the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to square off with Chris Archer for the Tampa Bay Rays. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along on the radio and in your cars by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Follow us on Twitter by giving @GreedyStripes a follow and enjoy the game. As always, Go Yankees!!

Chris Archer vs. the Yankees Offense & CC Sabathia vs. the Rays Offense

The Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees square off head-to-head tonight in the first of a four-game set in the Bronx over the weekend with a stellar pitching matchup. The Rays will send Chris Archer to the mound tonight who has always been a thorn in the side of the New York Yankees while the Bronx Bombers will counter with CC Sabathia. Let’s take a quick look at what the opposing offenses have done against Archer and Sabathia respectively so maybe we can predict or paint a clearer picture on what is about to go down tonight and throughout the weekend. Enjoy.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com. Shout out to them. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 7/27

The New York Yankees begin a very big series tonight in the Bronx against a very good and very pesky team in the American League East Division race, the Tampa Bay Rays. Before the season started I don’t think many had Tampa Bay making a serious run at the top heavy AL East Division crown, including myself, but the pitching has carried the Rays to within striking distance in the East, a division the Yankees want to so desperately win for the first time in what feels like forever. It’s going to be a three-team race and a dog fight until the end  and that fight continues tonight as the Yankees send CC Sabathia to start this big four-game series with the Rays while Tampa Bay counters with their ace Chris Archer. One word comes to mind when Archer takes the mound against the Yankees inside Yankee Stadium. Ugh. Ugh indeed.

Sabathia will make his fourth start since coming off the disabled list on July 4^th and will be looking for his third win in those four starts. Sabathia earned his second win in his last start against the Seattle Mariners tossing five innings while allowing just one run on four hits.

Archer was brilliant in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles but due to lack of run support the right-handed took his fourth loss of the season. To his credit Archer did throw two wild pitches including one that allowed the eventual winning run to score but Archer has made five quality starts and has gone at least six innings in 12 consecutive starts and he has very little to show for it in terms of wins and losses. This is a team game and the Rays offense could do better for Archer, just not tonight please.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Enjoy the game and always root for the Yankees! Go Yankees!

You Can Call Him MISTER Severino...

Credit:  Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees 9, Reds 5...

All seems to be right in the Yankees Universe once again.  After Manager Joe Girardi voiced that "he's thrown the best all year for us...call him what you want", Luis Severino went out and threw another ace-style performance at the Cincinnati Reds as the Yankees swept the two-game series.  

Jordan Montgomery took a no-hitter into the sixth inning on Tuesday and settled for a two-hit, one-run performance over 6 2/3 innings.  It was as if Severino said, "that's great, but I can do better".  Sevy (7-4) pitched 7 innings for the win, allowing only 3 hits and 2 runs (none earned).  He walked a couple of batters and struck out 9.  For the man who couldn't win a start in 2016, he is this year's MVP in the starting rotation.  

Then there's Didi Gregorius who is hitting everything thrown within 50 miles of him.  Derek Jeter who?  Okay, I jest on that part so as to not offend the DJ fans and his legacy but Didi is simply playing in a higher league right now.  

Credit:  Paul J Bereswill-The NY Post

The game started out to be a pitching duel between Severino and Cincinnati's Homer Bailey.  They traded 0's for a couple of innings until the Yankees broke through with a run in the bottom of the 3rd.  The Toddfather (Todd Frazier, as if it needs an explanation) got the inning started with a single.  But he was quickly erased when the $153 million pinch-runner, starting in center due to a day off for Aaron Judge in right, hit into a double play.  Ronald Torreyes and Brett Gardner took matters into their own bats and both singled to put runners at first and second.  The other Frazier (Red Thunder) singled to right to score Torreyes.  The Yankees had the early 1-0 lead.  

In the 5th inning, after the $153 million man flied out for the second out of the inning, Ronald Torreyes, Brett Gardner, and Clint Frazier repeated the third inning formula.  Single, single, single with run scored.  Like the 3rd inning, Gary Sanchez got the final out leaving Gardner stranded.  It was 2-0 Yankees.

Finally in the 6th inning, the Yankees looked elsewhere than Torreyes, Gardy and Red Thunder for runs as Didi Gregorius reached base on a throwing error by shortstop Jose Peraza, subbing for the injured Zack Cozart, and advanced to second.  Chase Headley singed to center to bring home Didi.  3-0, Yankees.  After Todd Frazier was hit by a pitch, Jacoby Ellsbury reached base on a force attempt throwing error to second base by first baseman Joey Votto to load the bases.  Frazier was originally called out at second, but the Yankees rightfully challenged the play and it was overturned when it clearly showed that Jose Peraza's foot was off base when he took the throw from Votto.  Ronald Torreyes hit a grounder to short and was thrown out at first but Headley scored on the play as the Yankees increased their lead to 4-0.

The Reds picked up a couple of runs against Severino in the top of the 7th.  Scott Schebler reached base on a fielding error by Didi Gregorius.  Eugenio Suarez made the Yankees pay for it with a double to left, scoring Schebler.  A wild pitch by Sevy advanced Suarez to third.  Tucker Barnhart grounded out to first, but Suarez scored.  4-2, Yankees.

The Yankees broke the game open in the bottom of the 7th.  Clint Frazier walked and scored when Gary Sanchez doubled to left.  Sanchez advanced to third on the throw.  Matt Holliday singled to left to score Sanchez.  It was 6-2 Yankees and the end of the line for Homer Bailey.  Reliever Tony Cingrani entered the game and was met with a Didi Gregorius home run to right (that's been happening to quite a few pitchers lately).  Two more runs and it was 8-2.  After Chase Headley lined out, the Toddfather finally crashed the party with his first Yankee home run, a solo shot to left.  It was 9-2 Yankees and it seemed like it would be a coast to victory.

Credit:  Elsa-Getty Images

Enter Luis Cessa.  The first out was easy...a ground out by Billy Hamilton.  The second batter, Scooter Gennett, should have been an out but Gennett reached first after swinging at the third strike, a ball that got past Gary Sanchez due to a wild pitch on Cessa.  Cessa then proceeded to walk Joey Votto which brought up Adam Duvall.  During the at-bat, I was thinking that Cessa had better be careful with the dangerous Duvall at the plate.  Boom, a three-run shot to right and the Reds had closed the gap to 9-5.  Fortunately, after a visit by pitching coach Larry Rothschild, Cessa retired the next two batters to get out of the inning.  I am not sure that I could have been that patient with Cessa.  If I was manager, he probably would have been grabbing his bus seat for the trip to Scranton, PA by the end of the game.  

Girardi made the wise choice to go with David Robertson in the 9th.  1-2-3, game over.  Man, I love having D-Rob back in the fold.  The Yankees win!

The Yankees (53-46) did not make up any ground in the AL East despite the win.  The Boston Red Sox, behind Chris Sale and rookie third baseman Rafael Devers who homered in his first MLB at-bat, beat the Seattle Mariners, 4-0.  The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 5-1.  So, the Yankees remain one game behind the Red Sox and a game and a half ahead of the Rays who departed for the Bronx following their game in Baltimore.

The $153 Million Man was 0-for-4 with a strikeout and was the only starting position player without a hit.  What was it that Joe Girardi said?  He was to take advantage of his opportunities?  Ouch...

Next Up:  Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York...

The Yankees get back into AL East play this evening at Yankee Stadium.  The third-place Tampa Bays come to town ready to make some noise.  It is the Yankees' mission to ensure that they leave disappointed.

Credit:  Will Vragovic-Tampa Bay Times

Here are the scheduled pitching match-ups:

THURSDAY

Rays:  Chris Archer (7-6, 3.77 ERA)

Yankees:  CC Sabathia (9-3, 3.44 ERA)

FRIDAY

Rays:  Undecided

Yankees:  Masahiro Tanaka (7-9, 5.37 ERA)

SATURDAY

Rays:  Blake Snell (0-6, 4.86 ERA)

Yankees:  Caleb Smith (0-1, 8.10 ERA)

SUNDAY

Rays:  Jacob Faria (5-1, 2.67 ERA)

Yankees:  Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 3.92 ERA)

Odds & Ends...

Chance Adams pitched yesterday in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's 5-4 win over the Norfolk Tides.  He did not get the decision but went 7 innings, giving up only three hits and two runs.  He had two walks to go with seven strikeouts.  His season ERA stands at 2.39.  The RailRiders won the game, thanks to a two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning by Mike Ford off former Yankees pitcher Matt Wotherspoon.  The Tides got a run off winner Ben Heller in the bottom of the 10th.  

Have a great Thursday!  Let's keep this winning streak alive!  Go Yankees!

The Athletics Reportedly Want Too Damn Much for Sonny Gray

Ladies and gentleman, good morning. The July 31^st trading deadline goes down, including today, in a mere five days with the deadline coming at 4:00 pm ET on July 31^st. The New York Yankees seem ready to strike and be prime buyers in the market and teams like the Oakland Athletics, New York Mets and Miami Marlins to name a few are simply salivating at the chance to get their hands on some of the Yankees top prospects. This thought process and these fantasies about having some of the Yankees farm hands inside their own organization has obviously made some teams go absolutely crazy, reportedly anyway, including the Oakland Athletics. Excuse my mouth, my use of slang terminology and my intentional typographical error here but the asking price for Sonny Gray and Yonder Alonso is just tew damn much!! Keep reading.

Now like most of these reports, opinions and stories during this time of the year this report is pure speculation on my part and has been rumored across the internet from other credible news sources. This did not come out of the mouth of either the Yankees GM or the Athletics GM as far as I have heard so keep that in mind before directing the hate mail to the comments section, to Twitter (shameless plus @GreedyStripes… follow us) or to our email. Thanks.

The Athletics have been scouting various levels of the Yankees minor league system over the past week or so and three names have been mentioned more so than any in a potential deal for Sonny Gray and/or Yonder Alonso. Reportedly the Athletics have their eyes on center fielder and former shortstop Jorge Mateo, right-handed pitcher Domingo Acevedo and center fielder Estevan Florial. Now while I understand you have to give a little to get a little and subsequently you generally have to give a lot to get a lot but still. That’s a lot for a first baseman rental and an injury-prone, albeit young and controllable, right-handed starting pitcher if you ask me.

Scouts have had nothing but great things to say about Mateo since being moved to center field and not just because of his speed. Scouts have mentioned that Mateo picked up the position much faster than anyone intended and has also shown an instinct for the position that most don’t this early in the development stage. Meanwhile Florial’s stock is flying after making the XM All-Star Futures Game in 2017 while Acevedo and his 103 MPH fastball have been turning heads around the league for years now. There has also been talks of the Yankees having to include a fourth prospect in the deal to make it work and to provide a comparable package to the one the Chicago White Sox got for Jose Quintana and the names of Freicer Perez (Low-A Ball pitcher) and Albert Abreu have been the names most mentioned in the potential deal.

Again, I think this is quite the price to pay for Gray. If the Yankees pay the price then I truly do understand their thought process behind it and I wouldn’t necessarily be upset. None of these prospects are close to the Major Leagues and literally none of them could conceivably make the Major Leagues at any point in their careers. A lot can happen between then and now. Meanwhile Gray is controlled through the 2019 season and could fill in for a team that could potentially lose Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka after the 2017 campaign. Pineda is done with Tommy John surgery and Sabathia is a free agent at season’s end while Tanaka has an opt-out clause written into his contract that looks less and less likely that he will take with every start he takes. Gray could give the Yankees the stability they need not only this season but for seasons to come, all for the price of some Low-A and High-A Ball players and Double-A Trenton players.

It makes sense from a baseball standpoint but it’s just tough as a fan to watch these players grow and then get traded but that’s all I am, a fan. A fan with a blog. I never claimed to be an expert nor am I an insider. Nor do I want to be for the record. I like things the way they are now. That’s just where the disconnect comes in I guess so if the Yankees do make this trade, I get it. I personally just think it’s too much for Gray and Alonso but maybe it’s just me. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below or tweet them to us @GreedyStripes. Thanks again. 

So it Seems We’re One Day Closer

So it seems we are one day closer. One day closer to another good morning to all the Yankees fans and family. One day closer to the July 31^st trading deadline. One day closer to Sonny Gray potentially wearing Yankees gray’s and pinstripes. One day closer to a slew of top Yankees prospects wearing various Oakland Athletics minor league affiliates jerseys. One day closer to you.

So good morning everyone, Happy Thursday. I hope everyone has the best day and in the end I hope everyone remembers and realizes what is important in their life. Once you find that I hope you all jump in head first and go for your goals. The only person who can change your life is you. The only person who can affect your life in any sort of way is you so make it happen.

Especially you. Hey you. I love you. Dan and Kari is happening so very soon. Remember that. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/27: Mariners Lose 17 Straight Against New York

This is not really New York Yankees history that we probably want to remember but on this day in 2011 the Seattle Mariners made history against us. The Mariners snapped a 17 game losing streak behind seven strong innings from Felix Hernandez and an offensive outburst. The M's would win 9-2 to get their first victory in three weeks.