Predicting the 2019 Season: The Standings

The 2018 saw three teams in the American League win at least 100 games, but on the flip side of that coin we also watched as teams like the Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, and others struggled mightily to win games all season long. To have just one team win 100 games is not the most common thing in the league in recent memory, so to have three is downright special. Will we see a repeat of that here in 2019? Only time will tell, but I will do my best to predict whether they will, or they won’t, as well as what teams will make the postseason and win their respective divisions as well. Bookmark this. I have a feeling by the end of the season I will be eating a whole lot of crow with these predictions, as usual.

American League East

New York Yankees: 96-66

Boston Red Sox: 92-70

Tampa Bay Rays: 87-75

Toronto Blue Jays: 66-96

Baltimore Orioles: 59-103

I know, most will call me a homer for picking the New York Yankees to win the division. Guess what? I don’t care. Maybe I am a homer, or maybe I can just see better than most that the team has done a lot to improve themselves here in 2019, especially on the pitching side of things. Boston will undoubtedly take a step back with that bullpen and the loss of Craig Kimbrel while you cannot expect Ian Snell to repeat what he did in 2018. Not to say that the Red Sox or Rays are necessarily worse teams in 2019, but an awful lot has to go right for a team to win 90 games, 100 games, or even 108 games. There’s a certain luck factor there and that historically just doesn’t translate from year-to-year.

American League Central

Cleveland Indians: 88-76

Minnesota Twins: 82-80

Chicago White Sox: 74-88

Detroit Tigers: 72-90

Kansas City Royals: 70-92

I don’t think there are any real surprises here other than maybe the win total of the Minnesota Twins. I know the Twins lost one of their better and more consistent starters, when healthy, in Ervin Santana, but I really like the young core of guys that the Twins have. Extending a couple of their guys allows them to focus solely on the game, and that generally translates into production on the field. I think they will at least be in the conversation for the second Wild Card this season, assuming the health of their key contributors.

American League West

Oakland Athletics: 91-71

Houston Astros: 90-72

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: 81-81

Texas Rangers: 73-89

Seattle Mariners: 70-92

Kill me if you want to, but the Houston Astros lost a whole lot of pitching this offseason, Justin Verlander has to age eventually, and the Oakland Athletics are just a damn good team. I could end up with egg on my face by the end of the season, but these are my predictions regardless. Also, I love how Seattle “reinvented their roster” rather than rebuild the team. Same difference, at least according to the above.

Wild Card #1 – Boston Red Sox

Wild Card #2 – Houston Astros

National League East

Atlanta Braves: 93-69

Washington Nationals: 91-71

Philadelphia Phillies: 88-74

New York Mets: 80-82

Miami Marlins: 60-102

I truly believe that the Atlanta Braves are a much better team than they were in 2018, and here’s why. Josh Donaldson, if healthy and we all presume he will be, is a monster on a one-year deal and will provide a legitimate bat in the middle of that lineup. I also think that Brian McCann, even a shell of his former self, will help more than can be expressed or quantified with the Braves pitching staff. I expect Washington to be in the thick of things again and better than they were last year, maybe even in spite of Bryce Harper, while the Phillies “stupid money” offseason plan will fall just short.

National League Central

Milwaukee Brewers: 91-71

St. Louis Cardinals: 87-75

Chicago Cubs: 85-77

Cincinnati Reds: 81-81

Pittsburgh Pirates: 80-82

I think the NL Central will be the most competitive division in all of Major League Baseball in 2019. The Brewers should be the cream of the crop, but the Cardinals and Cubs should be right on their tails for much of the season. The Reds added a ton of pitching to go with their young group of players while the Pirates, while still rebuilding, still have great pitching with Chris Archer and others.

National League West

Los Angeles Dodgers: 97-65

Colorado Rockies: 89-73

San Diego Padres: 80-82

San Francisco Giants: 75-87

Arizona Diamondbacks: 73-89

No, I am not jumping on the Manny Machado bandwagon and donning him the reason the Padres improve by 16 games in 2019. He will help, sure, but the Padres have a great young team that is absolutely stacked with talent. That, alongside Machado, will be the reason the Padres make a real stride this season. I expect Eric Hosmer to be better as well, compared to what he produced in Kansas City to what he did in San Diego he almost has to improve you would think, which should help the Padres win more games in what should be a weaker division overall in 2019.

Wild Card #1 - Washington Nationals

Wild Card #2 - Colorado Rockies

What will happen in the postseason? You have to tune in tomorrow to find out!

So it Seems…. Predictions!

Good morning everyone and welcome back to So it Seems. I apologize for the lack of a post in this slot yesterday but there just aren’t enough hours in the day sometimes. Today with the Yankees taking an off day to travel to the Rogers Centre to take on the Toronto Blue Jays I wanted to take the opportunity and the down time to take a look back at my 2017 MLB Awards, division winners, playoffs and World Series predictions! As you know if you have been reading my work long enough I tend to do terribly at these pre-season predictions but they are all in fun and I can take an “L” with the best of them so let me have it below in the comments section. I won’t mind, I enjoy the banter.

And a special good morning to you my Kari. Hey you. I loves you. 

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!

ALCS: Recapping the Head-to-Head Matchups from 2016

The ALCS has officially been set as the Cleveland Indians will play host to the Toronto Blue Jays with just seven games potentially separating them from a trip to the World Series. Who will take home the American League Pennant and have home-field advantage in the World Series thanks to the All-Star Game victory earlier this summer? That’s hard to say right now but while we wait let’s look at what these two teams have done against each other head-to-head this season. Maybe it gives us a hint of what’s to come, or maybe not. They do call it the “second season” for a reason you know.

Enjoy.

Rk	Date	Tm		Opp	W/L	R	RA	Win	Loss	Save
Rk	Date	Tm		Opp	W/L	R	RA	Win	Loss	Save
81	Thursday, Jun 30	TOR		CLE	L	1	4	Carrasco	Dickey	Allen
82	Friday, Jul 1	TOR		CLE	L	1	2	Bauer	Barney
83	Saturday, Jul 2	TOR		CLE	W	9	6	Grilli	Otero	Osuna
84	Sunday, Jul 3	TOR		CLE	W	17	1	Happ	Kluber
122	Friday, Aug 19	TOR	@	CLE	L-wo	2	3	Manship	Osuna
123	Saturday, Aug 20	TOR	@	CLE	W	6	5	Biagini	Tomlin	Osuna
124	Sunday, Aug 21	TOR	@	CLE	L	2	3	Clevinger	Cecil	Allen

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference. 

2016 MLB Playoffs Schedule for 10/4/16

Here we go ladies and gentleman, the beginning of the 2016 MLB playoffs. I know this is a Yankees-centric blog but we will be watching these playoffs very closely and trying to expand our outreach a bit over the next month or so. If you see a little more non-Yankees related content than normal don’t fret, it will return. There just isn’t much going on right now with the Yankees not in it and generally most Yankees fans still watch the postseason anyway. Don’t worry though, once the postseason is over we will go back to all Yankees all the time.

With that said there is just one game on the docket for tonight, the AL Wild Card Game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays. The game will begin at 8:05 pm ET inside Rogers Centre and can be seen on TBA. Check it out and enjoy.

Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays – 8:05 pm ET on TBS inside the Rogers Centre.

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles 9/30

The final series of the regular season and it’s back at home in the Bronx when the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium open their doors to welcome Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles to town for a three-game set. The Yankees are left with nothing to play for other than maybe some positioning spoiling for the Orioles while Baltimore is trying to get their roster and pitching rested up for the AL Wild Card Game. Let’s spoil the fun and in the first match the Yankees will send Michael Pineda looking to do just that while Baltimore counters with Yovani Gallardo.

Pineda will look to finish the season much stronger than he started it, especially after back-to-back solid outings in his last two starts against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays. Pineda has allowed just one run in his last 11 innings and comes into his final start 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two starts against the Orioles this season.

Gallardo heads into his final start of the regular season fresh off a pretty good start last time out against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Gallardo threw a quality start against the Diamondbacks hurling six innings while allowing two runs in a Baltimore victory.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Damn I’m going to miss Michael Kay here is a few weeks and damn I am really going to miss seeing these Baby Bombers and this team claw and fight every single night. Who came up with this silly rule that baseball had to end for the winter? Not me. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 9/26

Here we are on a Monday morning and the four-game set that has put the nail in the Yankees coffin finally comes to an end. Finally. It's probably not a coincidence that the Toronto Blue Jays all but ended the Yankees chance at a AL East title last year with a big series and now the Blue Jays may have ended the Wild Card hopes of the Baby Bombers as well with a similarly huge series in 2016. Oh well, let's get on with it  and get it over with so we can head back home to the Bronx to finish this season. In the finale the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound who will be taking Masahiro Tanaka's turn in the rotation while the Blue Jays will counter with JA Happ.

Severino makes the start tonight in place of the injured Masahiro Tanaka after allowing just one run in 15 innings this month as a reliever. Severino has pitched like a man with newfound confidence since entering the bullpen so hopefully that confidence carries over tonight.


Happ is set to be in some elite company in Toronto Blue Jays history with another win, we're just hoping that win doesn't come at the expense of the Yankees tonight. With one more victory Happ would surpass David Wells for the most wins in a Blue Jays uniform by a left-handed pitcher while last time out he became just the sixth Blue Jays pitcher in the history of the franchise to reach the 20 win plateau.

The game will be played at 7:07 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. I bet when the MLB schedule makers had this game on the calendar they didn't think the Yankees would be in the state they are both in terms of roster and in terms of standings. I know I didn't. Gotta keep fighting though, even if the playoffs will not be happening. It's still Go Yankees regardless!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 9/21

Here we go once again ladies and gentleman as the Tampa Bay Rays and Tropicana Field welcome the New York Yankees to town for the second of a three game set. In the middle game of this series the Yankees will send their ace of the present Masahiro Tanaka to the mound looking to hold down now only the Rays offense but the Rays ace before the dreaded Tommy John surgery bug hit him, Alex Cobb. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The Rays want to play spoilers, don’t be spoiled, get a win.

The Yankees have one more game in Tampa before making the trip to Canada to take on the Toronto Blue Jays for the final four games of their road schedule this season. The season ends on October 2^nd everyone and that’s just around the corner. It’s time to soak in and enjoy all the Yankees baseball we can between now and then. To do so with us you can like our page on Facebook or you can give our Twitter account @GreedyStripes a follow.

The countdown has begun. After tonight there are just 10 games remaining on the Yankees schedule. Let’s win them all. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 9/21

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays will continue their three game set this week with the middle game of their series tonight inside Tropicana Field. I feel like a poker player holding pocket aces as I type this because there will be a couple aces on the mound tonight. First the Yankees will send their ace Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to square off against a former ace that was slowed down by injury for the Rays in Alex Cobb. Cobb may not be the ace right now but he’s back on the mound and looking to regain his form, let’s just hope he doesn’t find it until at least tomorrow morning at the earliest.

Tanaka has been the ace and leader of the Yankees staff that everyone expected him to be when they signed him here in 2016. New York is 22-8 in his starts this season and Tanaka is 6-0 with a 1.86 ERA in his last eight starts which is a huge reason why the Yankees stuck around for so long in the AL East and Wild Card playoff chases. Tanaka has beaten the Rays on August 13^th and September 10^th recently and you know what they say, third time is the charm. No hitter tonight, calling it and jinxing it at the same time.

Cobb will be making just his fourth start of the season tonight after returning from Tommy John surgery and has looked good in each of his previous three starts. Cobb has thrown consecutive quality starts before tonight’s contest including his first win last time out against the Toronto Blue Jays. That was Cobb’s first win in 722 days.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Tanaka searches for his 14^th win of the season tonight but with Rick Porcello winning his 20^th game the AL Cy Young Award may be out of reach. That’s all we have left to play for now, positioning and personal growth and achievements. Depressing I know, I’ve been depressed for a week now because of it. Either way a win always has a way of cheering me up a bit so let’s get one. Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox 9/16

Here we go ladies and gentleman once again as the New York Yankees make the trip to Fenway Park to face off with the Boston Red Sox head-to-head. This will be the second time in a four-game series that these two teams will collide and while tonight’s pitching matchup won’t necessarily include an ace vs. a Yankees killer in the making it should be good enough to make for a great game. In the contest the Yankees will send rookie hurler Luis Cessa to the mound who will look to limit the long ball tonight while the Red Sox counter with Clay Buchholz. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET inside Fenway Park and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11, MLB Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees will be in Boston all weekend long as their push towards October continues so rally the troops and root for the home team from afar with us by liking our page on Facebook and by giving our Twitter handle @GreedyStripes a follow.

NEED A WIN. Get a win, please? Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 9/9

Here we are again ladies and gentleman in the Bronx ready to welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to town for the second game of their four game set. The Yankees are still riding high off their sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays earlier in the week and have found a new-found second win in both the 2^nd Wild Card and AL East Division playoff races. That only continues if they beat the teams they are supposed to beat including these pesky and spoiler-ready Tampa Rays. In the contest tonight the Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound looking to start a streak of success and lead the Yankees to the postseason while the Rays will counter with Blake Snell.

Pineda has not won a start for the Yankees since August 5^th in a start at home against the Cleveland Indians. Now it’s been over a month since a victory but to get that victory Pineda will have to pitch better than he did last time he faced the Rays on July 31^st where he gave up five runs in six innings. Big Mike, please show your ugly head.

Snell on the other hand was fantastic in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays lasting six innings while allowing just one run against an awesome offense. Snell became the first left-handed starter to hold the Blue Jays without an extra-base hit since May 26^th of this season in that start. The Yankees have plenty of right-handed power now though so I don’t expect the same success tonight in the Bronx.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Need a win. Get a win. I know I keep saying it but as I keep saying it the Yankees keep getting a win when they need it most so who am I to argue with the Baseball Gods? I’m not that stupid nor am I ignorant. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 8/17

Before this series started I looked at the pitching probables and I thought the Yankees would either get swept or they would lose embarrassingly in at least two of the games. New York and their youth movement has come out firing on all cylinders once again against a tough team and will look to take another series from a team in front of them tonight in the Bronx. With the off day tomorrow and a west coast trip that begins in Los Angeles on Friday looming in the distance it is imperative that the Yankees take care of business today on their home field in front of their home fans. Donned with the task of putting Toronto back behind teams like Boston and Baltimore in the standings is New York’s starter for the game CC Sabathia. The arm donned with the task of keeping Toronto atop the AL East Division is JA Happ who starts this afternoon for the Blue Jays.

Sabathia had many believing he had finally learned how to pitch and not simply try to blow hitters away earlier in the season but the veteran left-hander has regressed a bit while coming back down to Earth since. The key to Sabathia’s success has been limiting his pitches and limiting his home runs, something he will try to do this afternoon in the Bronx.

Happ comes into this start fresh off his 16^th victory of the season last time out at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays. Happ became the league’s first 16-game winner by throwing six shutout innings against Tampa Bay while stretching his consecutive victories in decisions streak to 10.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Like I alluded to earlier the Yankees are off tomorrow before making the trip out west to begin a weekend series with Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. At last check those Angels had lost double digit games in a row so you know what that means for this Yankees series right? They will probably sweep us. I’m hoping not but that’s usually how it goes for this team this season isn’t? Oh well, regardless I’ll still be sitting here screaming “Go Yankees!”

Yankees Potential Trade Partners: The Tampa Bay Rays

How convenient that I wait until this morning to talk about the Yankees potential trade partners, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees and the Rays begin a three-game series tonight in Tampa that ultimately will have to set the tone for the Yankees before the trading deadline. Many thought the Bronx Bombers were dead in the water heading into that big four-game series with Cleveland right before the All-Star break and ever since then all the team has done was win (with a small hiccup against Boston thrown in the middle there). Now many wonder and believe the Yankees should be buyers and not sellers before the August 1^st trading deadline and if they are buying I believe Tampa has a few pieces worth buying this weekend.

While I will preface this article with the fact that I find it unlikely that the Tampa Bay Rays would trade within the division nor do I feel like the team will especially help the Yankees in any way let’s ignore that and have a little fun here on our Friday morning. I will say that while it’s unlikely that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The Yankees and the Rays could potentially hook up in a trade but the Yankees will have to VASTLY overpay for their services, something I’m not quite sure I am comfortable doing personally.

The Rays have made both Matt Moore and Chris Archer available via trade and both could help the Yankees both this year if they are serious about making a push towards that second Wild Card spot and beyond the 2016 season as well. Moore is signed through the 2016 season with team options for the 2017-2019 seasons worth $7 million, $9 million and $10 million respectively while Archer is signed through the 2019 season with a pair of team options for 2020 and 2021 worth $9 million and $11 million respectively. The way the market is today you are seeing #4 and #5 pitchers earning that kind of money annually making the Rays pair of potential aces, one present and one working his way back to being one, an absolute steal and bargain going forward.

For those reasons alone Moore and Archer will not come cheap, especially to the Yankees. Attached to Gleyber Torres already? Don’t be, if a deal is made he’s headed to Tampa. Him or Jorge Mateo, one or the other, and plus some other top prospects as well. Now obviously Moore would come cheaper than Archer for obvious reasons, Moore hasn’t been “great” in about four seasons now, but either would be great additions to the Yankees. Just likely and just really, really expensive.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 6/3

Mission makeup all rained out games to date was marked complete yesterday as the New York Yankees made a one-night stop in Detroit on their way to Baltimore and Camden Yards tonight. Inside Oriole Park the Yankees and the Orioles will face off for the first time in their latest three-game set with the Orioles in a dogfight with the Boston Red Sox at the top of the division while the Yankees are trying to claw themselves out of this fourth place hole they currently find themselves in. Donned with turning the Yankees season around and kicking off the series with a win is one of the few bright spots on this Yankees team this year in Nathan Eovaldi while the Orioles counter with Chris Tillman who looks to keep the good times rolling in Baltimore.

Eovaldi has been as good as advertised and maybe as good as ever in his last four-or-five starts for the Yankees and looks to keep that dominant streak alive tonight in Baltimore. Eovaldi is limiting his base hits and walks while striking out a healthy amount of opposing batters with his splitter and if the right-hander could limit the number of pitches he throws the Yankees may have found something special in him going forward.

Tillman heads into this starts fresh off a no-decision against the Houston Astros that saw him go seven innings on Tuesday. In the start Tillman struck out five and walked three while giving up two runs and three hits in the contest. Tillman has historically been a thorn in the Yankees side so let’s hope the offense is on thorn removal duty tonight in Baltimore.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. After a very tough series in Toronto and the Tigers game eating up an all-important off day yesterday the Yankees need two things. A day off and a win. The MLB schedule makers made sure New York wasn’t going to get one of those but the team can get the other, the victory. The bats need to wake up and the pitching needs to be sharp. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 5/31

On this final day of May the New York Yankees find themselves in unfamiliar territory. They seem to be already out of it in the AL East Division race, although a lot can change between now and even August 1st let alone September 1st, but thanks to the addition of a 2nd Wild Card in both leagues the team is still within striking distance of a playoff position. The best advice you can give to the team right now is to take one game at a time and one series at a time and win more times than not. That begins and continues tonight as the Yankees face off with the Toronto Blue Jays in the middle game of their three-game set. New York will send the suddenly revitalized CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with the Jays starter JA Happ.

Sabathia has pitched extremely well this season and thanks to a pair of unearned runs in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays the Yankees veteran has seen his ERA dip below 3.00. Sabathia scattered two hits and a walk the last time he faced this season while striking out seven and will look for similar results tonight in Toronto. 

Happ has pitched at least seven innings while allowing three hits or less in each of his last two starts including one against the New York Yankees. Happ beat the Yankees last time out inside Yankee Stadium so New York will look to turn the tides tonight in Toronto. 

The game will be played at 7:07 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Happ is quietly becoming a Yankees killer isn't he? His stats lately against the club have been great if you're a Jays fan so hopefully the Yankees can turn that around a bit tonight while visiting our neighbors from the north. Go Yankees, eh?

What If: CC Sabathia Keeps Pitching This Well?

Yes Yankees fans you are about to read some optimism. No I’m not sick and yes I really mean it. CC Sabathia has undoubtedly quieted many of his doubters and haters this season the way he has pitched including myself which has given me lots of joy and optimism while eating my crow. Now granted it’s still early and my crow eating may be a bit premature but I am more than willing to give credit where credit is due and credit is due to Mr. Sabathia this season. What does it mean if he can find that fountain of youth while reinventing himself and continue to pitch this well this season?

Even the deepest teams in the league have holes and flaws, the league calls it parity, and on any given day the worst team can beat the best team in the league and so do decisively. What sets apart first place teams and playoff contending teams is just how deep the team is on the field and just how much depth they have behind the team from top to bottom. Adding a sub-3.00 ERA (that’s his ERA currently and not nearly what I expect out of him when the season is in the books) pitcher to the back end of a rotation is almost like having a leadoff type hitter batting ninth in the batting order and then another one batting first in the order. It just makes you that much better. The Yankees may have that if CC keeps pitching at the clip he’s currently pitching at.

With CC pitching so well, Tanaka being the ace the Yankees paid for and Nathan Eovaldi constantly eovolving towards the better the Yankees pitching staff is looking deeper and deeper all the time. If the team could get any sort of consistency out of Michael Pineda or Luis Severino if and when he returns along with strong outings from Ivan Nova and this team could be scary and could compete again. Especially when you consider that even on the Yankees off days they could still simply throw their bullpen at the problem and shut down a game for five or six innings.

If CC continues to pitch this well the Yankees continue to climb in the AL East. It’s as simple as that. If he reverts back to his near 5.00 ERA then the Yankees continue to fall. It sounds simple enough on paper but it’s simple enough in real life as well if you let it be. CC pitches well and the Yankees win. Bottom line. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 5/24

The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays are set to face off for the first time in a big three game set between the two clubs. You want to know the best part about the whole ordeal and this series? The Yankees miss David Price entirely as long as the probable pitchers do not change, that alone is a win for New York. Who will be making the start tonight for Toronto though will be a tough knuckleball pitcher in RA Dickey while the Yankees send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to oppose him. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

To see any of these games live this week head on over and click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog. That link will redirect you to our friends over at Ticket Monster who offer the same Yankees Tickets those “premium” box holders have for a fraction of the price. A fraction of the price that does not include any fees or shipping costs! Also be sure to head on over to Twitter to give us a follow and follow along during each and every game this season. Our Twitter handle is @GreedyStripes. Hope to see you there.

Nathan Eovaldi is ready to continue “eovolving” so I’m going to get off here and go watch. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 5/3

The New York Yankees were swept away by the Boston Red Sox this weekend, how sweep it was not, but luckily for the team they had an off day to lick their wounds and mentally prepare for another tough division foe in the Baltimore Orioles. The season is not over Yankees fans, news flash I know, but it can be rather soon with this series and another Red Sox series looming in the Bronx over the weekend. There is already pressure on every Yankees player every at bat and with every pitch thrown and with every loss the pressure gets more and more immense. Donned with the task of not only getting the Yankees a win but alleviating some of that pressure is Luis Severino while the Orioles will counter with one of their best in Chris Tillman.

Severino has not had the start to the season he nor the Yankees would have liked after a strong debut in 2015. Severino has shown poor command of not only his fastball but of his slider as well and has been seen shaking off veteran catcher Brian McCann far too much. That shaking off landed Severino on the bench in his last start after just three innings due to him giving up six earned runs on seven hits in yet another bad start for the rookie right-hander.

Tillman started Opening Day for the Orioles but has not lived up to the distinction and the hype that usually comes along with that honor thus far this season. Tillman did have an impressive start last time out against the Tampa Bay Rays but has looked inconsistent for much of the season, a trend that he hopefully gets back to tonight in Camden Yards.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The last place team in the American League East Division against the first place team in the division. With this series this week and another Red Sox series looming in the distance this weekend New York is primed to make a move back towards the top of the division. Whether they are ready and able to do it is a whole other story unfortunately. It all starts tonight in Baltimore.

Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 4/22

I don’t think I’ve ever found myself saying this but boy am I glad to see the Oakland Athletics leave the Bronx. What a tough, and at times agonizing, series that was but this is Major League Baseball and every day is a new game and in this case a new series as the New York Yankees welcome their division rivals the Tampa Bay Rays to the Bronx. New York will look to snap this series losing streak they have going while they pull out a couple, or three, wins this weekend inside Yankee Stadium. The way you do that is you take one game at a time and that first game comes tonight with CC Sabathia on the mound for the Yankees and Matt Moore on the mound for the Rays.

Sabathia has given the Yankees some innings in each of his first two starts but not much else in the way of effectiveness unfortunately. Sabathia always seems to pitch well in the first three or four innings of a contest before seemingly falling off around the fifth inning every single time leaving many to wonder if he wouldn’t be better suited as a long man in the bullpen. Sabathia looks like a new pitcher, reinvented, at the beginning of games only to fall back into old patterns late. Sabathia needs to turn this around today and needs to show some improvement because even Yankees GM Brian Cashman has said his starting job is not guaranteed all season long.

Moore struggled towards the end of last season after coming back from Tommy John surgery but it seems like the lefty is getting better and better with every start he makes. Moore’s biggest issues was his control and he has seemingly gotten that under control and will look to harness that control inside of Yankee Stadium tonight where he owns a career 3-1 record and 4.66 ERA.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. It’s Friday and the only way you can ruin a Friday night is if you have to work on Saturday morning or if the Yankees lose. I don’t have to work tomorrow so don’t let me down boys. Let’s pull out this victory and another and another. Go Yankees!!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics 4/21

Tonight the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics will make the trip to the Bronx one last time as these two teams finish off their three game set inside Yankee Stadium this week. The first game went to extra innings with the Yankees losing a heartbreaker while the second game was a tough one for both sides. Who will win tonight and take the series and who will head into their next series with a little bit of momentum? We’ll have to stay tuned and watch to find out as the Yankees send Luis Severino to the mound tonight to face off against a former Yankee in Rich Hill for the Athletics.

Severino has not had the start to the 2016 season that he or his Yankees teammates would have hoped for. Severino is slated to make his 14^th MLB start tonight at just 22-years old and will look to lower his ERA and 15.2 H/9 IP ratios specifically tonight in the Bronx. This is why small sample sizes are bad to use as indicators for future performance, Severino’s H/9 ratio last season was just 7.7.

 Hill heads into tonight’s start with two loses already on his record despite pitching well in his starts for the most part. In Hill’s last start against the Kansas City Royals the right-hander allowed three runs on nine hits in just 4.1 innings in the loss and has yet to go over five innings more than once this season. This is the game the Yankees must win.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The Yankees need this win in the worst way. You can’t win a division or clinch a playoff spot in April but you sure can lose one by losing games like this that you should be winning. Severino needs to turn things around and Hill is an average, at best, starter. Don’t fall for the trap game, just win. Go Yankees.