Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 8/24

And just like that it is game time here in the Bronx between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. In the first game of the three-game set this weekend the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with Alex Cobb for the Orioles. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on the YES Network locally and on MASN if you are in the Baltimore area. 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 Yankees all season long. Enjoy the game, give Buck Showalter a reason to cry tonight, and go Yankees!!

For Those Fans Who Say Joe Girardi > Aaron Boone

We’re back, and we are as controversial as ever as we continue to right wrongs and correct a lot of misinformation that gets passed around via Yankees fans and Yankees “fans” alike. Last week we analyzed the reason and history behind the luxury tax threshold in Major League Baseball and used our findings to determine whether the Yankees would be better off, worse off, or about the same today if George Steinbrenner were running the team as opposed to having Hal Steinbrenner run the team, and we are going to look to do something similar today with first year rookie manager Aaron Boone and his predecessor, Joe Girardi. Would the 2018 Yankees, a team on pace to win 100 games, be better off, worse off, or about the same with Joe Girardi at the helm this season? Let’s analyze.

We have to remember that Aaron Boone is a rookie manager with no managerial or coaching experience anywhere within baseball before taking the job with the New York Yankees. If that is a problem to some, it is not a problem with me to be honest, then that blame should be on Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner as well as the coaching staff that they approved and assembled around Boone, and the blame should not be on Boone himself. Anyway, Girardi was not a rookie manager in his first year in the Bronx and was not foreign to the idea of playing under the watchful eyes of Yankees fans and the media in New York, he played here and won World Series championships here in New York, but even with that experience under his belt his first season, 2008, did not go exactly according to plan.

In 2008 the Yankees missed the postseason for the first time since the 1993 season with Joe Girardi at the helm, and to add salt in the wound it was the final season of the old Yankee Stadium as well. Now, one could argue that Boone has a much better roster than Girardi had at his disposal in 2008, but I cannot say I fully agree with it. Does Boone have a younger team? Sure. A more versatile team? Probably. A better team though? That’s questionable, given and assuming health and all that. Girardi had Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano, Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Brett Gardner, 20-game winner Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, a good version of Joba Chamberlain, David Robertson, Phil Coke, and a slew of other players that were at-minimum serviceable MLB-caliber players. Sure, the Yankees had a lot of injuries that season, but if that isn’t an excuse for Boone than it isn’t an excuse for Girardi either. Also, sure, Boone does himself no favors with his pitching and in-game decisions, but does anyone remember Joe Girardi’s binder and the subsequent memes and Twitter accounts that have popped up since making such a mockery of the same problem that Girardi had as well?

Want to know a difference? While Boone is on pace to win right at 100 games this season in his rookie season and make the postseason in the American League, Joe Girardi led the Yankees to an 89-73 record, a third-place finish, and to a nice place on their couches during October for the first time of Derek Jeter’s illustrious career. Of course, Girardi got better as the years went on, but then again so did his teams, so I find it truly remarkable and irresponsible to say that this current team would be better under Girardi than they are under Boone. Boone didn’t injure the players and he damn sure didn’t make many of them underperform. Now should Boone ever bring AJ Cole into a game ever again? No. But did Girardi have his favorites and do the same damn thing? Absolutely, and probably more so than Boone. And let’s be real, Brian Cashman and Larry Rothschild are calling more of these pitching change calls than we will ever admit or want to think about.

The team is fine, and Aaron Boone is a fine manager. Joe Girardi was a fine manager. They both had great things about them and they both had things that made me want to break any screen that I watched the game on. That’s baseball, and that’s especially baseball in New York. Deal with it.

Justus Sheffield is Coming…

The New York Yankees made a big move down in Triple-A this week that all but signals one important fact for the team and one of its prospects. The Yankees shifted their top pitching prospect and top prospect overall Justus Sheffield to the bullpen down in Scranton, all but signaling the fact that the Yankees plan to use the left-hander out of their Major League bullpen here sometime in 2018.

Tuesday night Sheffield made his first bullpen appearance for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and allowed just two hits with no walks and two strikeouts over two innings pitched. Aaron Boone was quoted as saying “He’ll get a couple outings under his belt down there and play a part with us in our pen (in September).”

In 2018 Sheffield has posted a combined 6-6 record with a 2.52 ERA in 22 games, 20 starts, at both Double-A Trenton and at Triple-A with the RailRiders. Sheffield has struck out 118 batters to just 50 walks surrendered in 110.2 combined innings pitched. While at Triple-A this season Sheffield has limited left-handed batters to just a .160 batting average against, which could signal how the Yankees plan to use him next month in the bullpen.  

With Aroldis Chapman now on the disabled list with knee tendinitis the time is now for Justus Sheffield. Your move, Brian Cashman.

ICYMI: 2019 Schedule

In case you missed it, the 2019 MLB schedule has been released, so it is officially time to start making your Yankees plans for next season! Below I will list the entire Yankees schedule, but I will also hit some of the high points and notable dates on the schedule as well.

March 28, 30-31 vs. Orioles

Opening Day baseball in the Bronx with the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. I wonder who will be starting these three games for the Yankees. Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, and maybe Patrick Corbin?

April 1-3 vs. Tigers
April 4-7 at Orioles
April 8-10 at Astros
April 12-14 vs. White Sox
April 16-17 vs. Red Sox
April 18-21 vs. Royals
April 22-25 at Angels
April 26-28 at Giants
April 30-May 1 at Diamondbacks

Interleague play will happen with the National League West this season. The Yankees will make the trip to Dodger Stadium again, which is always fun.

May 3-5 vs. Twins
May 6-9 vs. Mariners
May 10-12 at Rays
May 13-15 vs. Orioles
May 17-19 vs. Rays
May 20-23 at Orioles
May 24-26 at Royals
May 27-29 vs. Padres
May 30-June 2 vs. Red Sox

First five times the rivalry is renewed it is inside Yankee Stadium? Huh.

June 4-6 at Blue Jays
June 7-9 at Indians
June 10-11 vs. Mets

Subway Series Part 1

June 13-16 at White Sox
June 17-19 vs. Rays
June 20-23 vs. Astros
June 24 vs Blue Jays
June 29 Red Sox at London
June 30 Red Sox at London

Rivalry renewed, over crumpets and tea?

July 2-3 at Mets

Subway Series Part 2

July 4-7 at Rays
July 12-14 vs. Blue Jays
July 15-18 vs. Rays
July 19-21 vs. Rockies
July 22-24 at Twins
July 25-28 at Red Sox
July 30-31 vs. Diamondbacks
Aug. 2-4 vs. Red Sox
Aug. 5-7 at Orioles
Aug. 8-11 at Blue Jays
Aug. 12-14 vs. Orioles
Aug. 15-18 vs. Indians
Aug. 20-22 at Athletics
Aug. 23-25 at Dodgers
Aug. 26-28 at Mariners
Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Athletics

Man, the last West Coast road trip of the season comes at the end of August and into September? That is rough for the Bombers.

Sept. 2-4 vs. Rangers
Sept. 6-9 at Red Sox
Sept. 10-12 at Tigers
Sept. 13-15 at Blue Jays
Sept. 17-19 vs. Angels
Sept. 20-22 vs. Blue Jays
Sept. 24-25 at Rays
Sept. 27-29 at Rangers

The final three games of the season, hopefully the Yankees have already locked up the division crown and are resting regulars by this point… stay tuned.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 8/24

The New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles will begin a three-game weekend set tonight in Baltimore with a matchup of two veteran arms for each respective team. In the start tonight the Yankees will welcome back CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with Alex Cobb, the long time Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, for the Orioles. Let’s get to it here inside Camden Yards.

Sabathia will be activated off the disabled list to make the start tonight in Baltimore after missing the last two starts due to right knee inflammation. CC pitched well before heading to the disabled list on August 12, pitching six scoreless innings while allowing just one hit against the Texas Rangers. Didn’t seem like the knee was bothering him then, huh? #ConspiracyTheory

Cobb has pitched well lately for Baltimore posting a 1.55 ERA over his last four starts. Cobb has also been good against the Yankees this season allowing just one run over six innings of work in his only start against the Bronx Bombers on August 1^st.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on the YES Network locally and on MASN if you are in the Baltimore area. 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.

Enjoy the game, for the love of God please beat the worst team in the American League and go Yankees!!

Hello… Maybe Pedro Martinez Was Right?

Good morning Yankees family and welcome back to the blog. You know, maybe Pedro Martinez was right. If you don’t know what I am talking about, Pedro Martinez was quoted recently as saying, to paraphrase, that the Yankees cannot use the injury bug as an excuse for their play lately and their free fall in the standings. Pedro went on to say that there was no hustle and energy with this team, and you know what? He hit the nail on the head, and he is absolutely correct.

Attitude reflects leadership. If the team is lackadaisical that is on them, but if they are lackadaisical and get away with it… well that is on Aaron Boone. And if the team is lackadaisical and gets away with it and nothing is said to Aaron Boone, well then that’s on Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner. I can keep going, but the bottom line is this. August 24, 2018… someone needs to wake “tf” up. That is all.

Hey you, I love you. I woke up next to you, so today will be a good day.

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/24: Yankees Hats Start a Gang War

Unknown to the New York Yankees their hats may have contributed to an uptick in gang violence in East Harlem, New York. On this day in 2007, a day after protests concerning the gang related items, New Era announced that it will remove the "offensive" hats that bears the colors and symbols of the rival gangs the Bloods, the Crips, and the Latin Kings. Two white hats had been wrapped in red and blue bandannas made by New Era and appeared to represent the Bloods and the Crips. A black Yankees hat with the interlocking NY also had a crown symbolic of the Latin Kings.

Also on this day in 1985 Don Baylor ties a major league record in a Yankees uniform when he is hit by a pitch for the 189th time in his career.

Finally on this day in 1951 Mickey Mantle was recalled from the minor leagues and for the first time in his career wore his #7 jersey. The Yankees would win the game and Mantle would go 1-4 in the 2-0 victory over the Indians. Mantle had previously wore #6 before being demoted six weeks ago and his jersey was given to infielder Bobby Brown.