Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Texas Rangers 5/22



And just like that it is game time here in Arlington, Texas as the Texas Rangers play host to the New York Yankees. In the second game of their three-game set this week the Yankees will send Domingo German to the mound to face off with Cole Hamels for the Rangers. Familiar faces, familiar foes. The game will be played at 8:05 pm ET inside Globe Life Park in Arlington and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Follow us on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, and “Like” us on Facebook, The Greedy Pinstripes, to keep up with us and the team all season long. Enjoy the game, keep first place from those pesky Red Sox, and go Yankees!!

USA Today’s Weekly MLB Power Rankings



To be the best, you have to beat the best. Not many teams want to be the best lately because not many teams have beaten the Yankees lately. To be fair the team hardly played last week due to scheduled days off, slumber parties inside of airports, and Mother Nature, but the team has picked back up where they left off during last week’s rankings. On top and winning.

The New York Yankees are in the top spot this week followed by the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, the Atlanta Braves (not a typo!), and the Milwaukee Brewers (also not a typo!). Wow, what a Top 5. Who had that Top 5 before the season? Nobody. Not even me, and I go way out there with my predictions sometimes.

The Philadelphia Phillies rose an impressive eight spots to the #7 position while the Washington Nationals are in danger of falling out of the Top 10 after falling five spots this week to tenth. The Cleveland Indians (16th, down three spots) are behind the New York Mets (14th, up three spots) in the rankings this week while the Oakland Athletics continue to defy the odds and climb the rankings. And then we have the Arizona Diamondbacks who fell eight spots to the #12 position, ouch.

The American League East looks weak right now aside from the Bronx Bombers and the Boston Red Sox with the Toronto Blue Jays ranked 20th, the Tampa Bay Rays ranked 21st and the Baltimore Orioles ranked 29th overall.


Neil Walker to Seattle Makes Some Sense



The countdown to the return of Greg Bird is imminent as the Yankees young first baseman could be activated as early as this week. While it seems like a foregone conclusion that Bird will be making his 2018 debut soon it is unclear how the Yankees will deal with the best problem to have, too many good players and not enough positions to play them all at. The Yankees have not only survived, but flourished, without Bird using the combination of Neil Walker, Tyler Austin, Gleyber Torres, Brandon Drury and Miguel Andujar in their infield, but it seems like when Bird is activated off the disabled list that at least one of them will have to go. You can’t really send down Andujar or Torres in my opinion, Drury is already biding his time at Triple-A and Austin has earned his spot here on the roster in my opinion leaving just one man, the former New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers product. You know what they say around baseball when you have these impending roster crunches, these things tend to work themselves out, and this situation in the Bronx may have been worked out last week due to an old friend.

Robinson Cano, former New York Yankees player and 2009 World Series champion, was suspended by the league for a failed PED test leading Seattle to be without their second baseman for at least 80 games, although most of those games the Mariners would have been without him anyway due to a broken bone in his hand. That is another rant for another day. The Mariners are said to be scouring the trade market either for a second baseman to replace Cano during the suspension or a center fielder to replace Dee Gordon, a former second baseman and the Mariners current center fielder who will be filling in for Cano at least temporarily. It has been speculated that the Mariners and the Boston Red Sox may be willing to make a deal involving Jackie Bradley Jr., Eduardo Nunez or Brock Holt, but could the Yankees swoop in and steal a prospect or two from Seattle instead?

Neil Walker seems like he will be the odd man out of the Bronx when Greg Bird returns so you have to think the Yankees would like to get something for Walker in return for his services rather than designating him for assignment, right? Walker is a natural second baseman that could fill in for Cano now at the position while he could also help the team march towards the postseason in the second half when Cano returns. Walker to the Mariners makes a whole lot of sense for the Yankees and for Seattle right now, so let’s make a deal. The Yankees should send Walker to Seattle for a prospect or two, I don’t know much about the Mariners system to name a name but presumably it would not be a Top 10 prospect in my opinion, while the Mariners take on the remaining part of Walker’s $4 million salary.

The Yankees clear a spot for Bird and they clear some money to spend at the July 31st trading deadline while staying under the luxury tax threshold. The team can also add a good prospect or two, this seems like a win-win for New York and for Seattle. Make it happen, Cashman.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Texas Rangers 5/22



Good morning everyone and welcome back to Arlington for the second game of a three-game set between the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers. The Yankees remain hot while the Rangers continue to try and stay within striking distance of the Houston Astros and the postseason here in 2018. In the start tonight, the Yankees will send out rookie starter Domingo German while the Rangers will send out a man that is already being speculated as a potential trade target for the Yankees this July, left-hander Cole Hamels. Let’s get to it here in hot and humid Texas.

German regressed a little in his second MLB start after bursting onto the scene with six hitless innings in his debut against the Cleveland Indians on May 6. German started against the Oakland Athletics in his second career start on May 12 and allowed six runs on six hits in five innings of work. Which German will we see tonight? Nobody knows, stay tuned.


Hamels missed his last start due to neck stiffness and has not pitched since May 11 against the Houston Astros. In that start Hamels allowed just one hit in six innings of work striking out five along the way. Hamels may be potentially auditioning to join the Yankees later on in the summer should the Rangers fall out of contention and should the Yankees feel that another starter, or a veteran starter, is needed for the postseason push.

The game will be played at 8:05 pm ET inside Globe Life Park in Arlington and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. It could be worse, it could be Mike Francesa.

Enjoy the game, Hamels audition for the Bronx starts in eight hours, and go Yankees!!

Hello… Trade Season?



Never have I seen a fan base in any of the four major North American sports that were this down on and this pessimistic about a first place team sitting on top of the league with the best record in the sport. My goodness, to read some of these Facebook groups and tweets floating around you would think the New York Yankees were the Baltimore Orioles and that Aaron Boone should be fired for removing a pitcher during an opposing batter’s home run trot. My goodness people take a chill pill. And with all that pessimism surrounding the team anyone and everyone has an idea, a roster move, and a trade that can put the Yankees over the top.

News flash people, it is May 22nd. It is not trade season, as much as you want it to be, and the Yankees are not going to make that huge splash this July even if it were. The team is getting under the luxury tax threshold and they aren’t selling the farm to get the young, cheap and controllable player to add to the roster. Deal with it, it’s happening.

EIGHT MORE DAYS. Hey you. I love you. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/22: Roger Clemens Wins 18 Consecutive Games


On this day in 1999 after a disabled list stint and a rain out Roger Clemens finally breaks the American League record with his 18th consecutive win. Johnny Allen had the record previously with the Indians in 1936-1937 as did Dave McNally with the Orioles in 1968-1969. Clemens had ten no decisions mixed in with the 18 consecutive victories.


Also on this day in 1990 Andre Dawson for the Cubs was walked intentionally five times in one game to set a new major league record. The previous mark of four was held by the Yankees Roger Maris in 1962 and by the Padres Gerry Templeton in 1985.


Also on this day in 1977 the Boston Red Sox (6) and the Milwaukee Brewers (5) combined for 11 home runs to tie a major league record. The 11th home run matched the Yankees and Tigers in 1950 and the Cubs and the Mets in 1967 who also had 11 round trippers.


Also on this day in 1963 Mickey Mantle once again almost became the first person to hit one out of Yankee Stadium. Mantle hit the home run off the A's Bill Fischer and it was just a few feet below the facade down the right field line in an 8-7 Yankees victory.


Also on this day in 1962 Roger Maris is intentionally walked four times in a game to establish a major league record. Four different Angels pitchers intentionally walked Maris in New York's 2-1 victory in Yankee Stadium.


On this day in 1933 the Yankees third basemen Joe Sewell is struck out for the first time of the season. Cleveland's Wes Ferrell was the man to strike out Sewell and Sewell would only strike out three more times the entire season, his final season, in 524 at bats. That's insane by today's standards.


Also on this day in 1930 Babe Ruth tied a major league record by hitting five home runs in two games and six home runs in three games when he hit three homers in the second game of a double header the day before, two more in game one of this day's double header, and one more in the second game of the double header on this day. Lou Gehrig also went deep three times in the second game of the double header and the Yankees would beat the Philadelphia A's 20-13.


Finally on this day in 1922 The Yankees begin construction on Yankee Stadium after sharing the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants since 1913. The stadium will unofficially be called the "House that Ruth Built" due to Babe Ruth's popularity with the team in the early 1920's.