I’ll Take An Elite Pitcher To Go, Please…

Credit:  Jim McIsaac, Getty Images and Sportsnet.ca

Is No News Good News?…

It’s been very quiet in the Yankees Universe this week. By all accounts, the Yankees’ talks with the Pittsburgh Pirates for starter Gerrit Cole have cooled. Rightfully so if the Pirates are continuing to ask for top prospects in return. The Cole rumors have been like the Yankees long-standing desire for Oakland’s Sonny Gray that was finally consummated last summer. Rumors that stick around for years until they may or may not happen. At this point, I don’t see a trade for Cole but of course things could change if the Pirates lower their demands.

How does the saying go? Sometimes the best trade is the trade never made.

This week, a few sources were indicating the Yankees have interest in free agent Yu Darvish.  I’ve liked Darvish for a long time but of course he bombed in the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers when he was tipping his pitches. There’s also no way the Yankees can fit him into the budget unless they move other salary (i.e., Jacoby Ellsbury). I don’t see Darvish coming to the Bronx. I thought it was interesting that the Houston Astros talked to Darvish since they used him as a punching bag on their way to a World Series championship.  But trying to fit a Darvish contract into Team Hal’s budget would sacrifice greater areas of need on the team and would potentially limit what the Yankees could do next July at the tradling deadline.

There doesn’t seem to be any movement with talks about Arizona’s Patrick Corbin or Detroit’s Michael Fulmer. Fulmer would be the ideal candidate but he’s cost-prohibitive if the Tigers continue to ask for a ‘Chris Sale’ type of return.  

Credit:  Mark Cunningham, MLB Photos via Getty Images

Chris Archer continues to show up on lists as a possible target for the Yankees. I’d certainly be happy with Archer but getting the Rays to trade within the division is probably comparable to trying to get the Orioles to trade Manny Machado to the Yankees. Okay, that might not be the right comparison because I think the hatred of O’s owner Peter Angelos toward the Yankees probably runs a little deeper than other clubs. If we bring up names within the division, it should include Toronto’s Marcus Stroman. I love Stroman and I think the native New Yorker would be an ideal fit in the Bronx. Stroman, 26, is in his second year of arbitration and is projected to make $7.2 million this year (he made $3.4 million in 2017). He won’t be a free agent until the 2021 season. As he gets more expensive, the Blue Jays will probably be more motivated to move the player, especially since they are entering a rebuild phase and need more young talent. Stroman would fit into the chemistry of the Yankees and showed good rapport with Aaron Judge through tweets last fall. But as long as the Blue Jays think they have a shot for a Wild Card, they won’t trade Stroman. I watch Josh Donaldson as the barometer. As long as the Blue Jays keep the 2018 free agent-to-be on the roster, they refuse to admit rebuild. But once he goes, the environment might be right to grab Stroman who would be worth the high cost.

Credit:  Frank Gunn

I was glad to see the Tampa Bay Rays trade third baseman Evan Longoria to the San Francisco Giants yesterday. Longoria has long been a Yankees killer (seemingly coming up with key hits at the worst moments for the Pinstripers), but Mike Axisa of River Ave Blues was quick to point out that Longoria batted .231/.290/.375 against the Yankees over the past three seasons. As Axisa noted, Longoria is a declining player signed for big money so his departure probably hurts rather than helps the Yankees in the AL East. I think Longoria will be rejuvenated in San Francisco (playing in a packed AT&T Park is substantially different than playing in the sparse Tropicana Field). The Longoria trade removes another third base suitor which indirectly helps the Yankees as it removes options for free agents Mike Moustakas and Todd Frazier (hopefully driving down their asking prices to the point that the Yankees are able to sign one of the players). Sentimentally, I’d prefer Frazier but the Moose Tacos bat is better.

Credit:  Nick Wosika, Icon Sportswire

The AL East took a different look yesterday with the Longoria trade and the announcement that Orioles closer Zach Britton had torn his achilles tendon in an off-season workout (he will most likely miss the first 4-6 weeks of the season). If the O’s are successful in trading Machado out of the division, it will be an indication that they are ready to move into rebuild phase. The latest AL East moves continue to show further separation between the Yankees and Red Sox and the rest of the division.  

Back to Ellsbury, I would love to see the Yankees trade the aging, overpaid, under-performing outfielder. His presence prevents the Yankees from aggressively improving other areas of the team. I laugh when I see some of the “Ellsbury for (Player X)” suggestions, which are at times ridiculous. Ellsbury for Madison Bumgarner...yeah, right. Personally, I’d be happy with Ellsbury’s departure for no return. It is just a matter of how much money (and potentially prospects) the Yankees have package with him to get another team to bite. The Yankees either need to make room for Clint Frazier or trade him. He has nothing left to prove in the Minor Leagues.  

Credit:  SI.com

The free agent market has been slow to develop this year, but things seem to be breaking. Cleveland’s Carlos Santana signed with the Phillies earlier in the week, and Cleveland countered by signing the Mariners’ Yonder Alonso to be their new first baseman. Up to this point, the free agent signings have primarily been directed at bullpen relief.  

The Yankees are running out of time to make some noise before Christmas. I expect next week to be very quiet so if the Yankees do nothing this week, there probably won’t be any activity until January. On the bright side, we are moving closer to Spring Training. I have already bought my Giancarlo Stanton jersey so I am ready.

Go Yankees!

Bryce Harper's a great player BUT...

How much are these stats worth?

13 Home Runs

36 RBI’s

.355 Batting Average

.468 OBP

.702 SLG

1.170 OPS

New speculation is placing the value of Bryce Harper’s next contract closer to $500 million than the previously thought $400 million.  With an argument that Harper is twice the player Giancarlo Stanton is, is he worth twice the contract (or $650 million)?  Harper is going to bring new meaning the term “franchise player”.  How much did George Steinbrenner pay for the Yankees back in 1973?  It’s a rhetorical question but the answer is $10 million (with 60% in borrowed funds).  Granted, the Yankees are now worth more than $3.7 billion but it’s still phenomenal to think how much money Harper is going to get.  

At face value and with a strong right-fielder already in place, I have to say that despite Harper’s greatness, Manny Machado is looking better and better every day.  As luck would have it, we happen to need a third baseman.  I am just not so sure about the one more year of Chase Headley part…

Credit:  Patrick Smith/Getty Images

As a Yankees fan, I am not a supporter of the Toronto Blue Jays but their players continue to provide more reasons to dislike them.  The bat flip by Joey Bats after a home run against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday was ridiculous.  I had no problem with Braves catcher Tyler Flowers pointing at Bautista with an inside-fastball sign on a pitch selection the next night.  Braves pitcher Julio Teheran promptly drilled one into Bautista’s thigh.  But the homophobic comments that Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar directed at Braves reliever Jason Motte were totally unacceptable.  The anti-gay slur resulted in a two-game suspension for Pillar.  I hope the Atlanta Braves fans realize that the Blue Jays are not representative of all AL East teams.  

Tyler Austin has joined High-A Tampa to begin his rehab assignment.  The Yankees will have some decisions to make when he finishes the rehab assignment.  With Greg Bird ready to begin his rehab assignment next week, it increases the likelihood that Austin heads to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  But the RailRiders have a good recent addition at first already.  Mike Ford, called up last week from AA-Trenton, has three homers in six games and nine RBI’s.  He is 8-for-26 (.308).  The RailRiders are also loaded in the outfield with Clint Frazier, Dustin Fowler, Mason Williams, and Mark Payton.  If it were up to me, I’d think hard about moving/cutting Chris Carter and slotting Austin in as backup first baseman/outfielder. 

Roy White Day.  

Alright, I'll join the Daniel Burch bandwagon.  My awareness of White was more acute during his age 30+ seasons, but he was a trusted, reliable and a bit under-appreciated member of the Yankees and those back-to-back World Championships in the late 70's.  For a team that was overflowing with superstars, White simply did his job when called on.  With no disrespect to Joe Torre who retired #6, I still think of White when I see the number.  Not many players stay with one team their entire career, but White was one of them with fifteen years in Pinstripes.  The other outfielders, Reggie Jackson and Mickey "Mick the Quick" Rivers, were more flamboyant but White always seemed to come up big whenever you needed him.  I agree, he gave his baseball life to the Yankees and it is only right that they give Roy his day at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees have a new manager!  

Credit:  Brendan Kuty/NJ Advance Media

Okay, it was just one game.  Bench coach Rob Thomson was manager of the New York Yankees on Friday night so that Joe Girardi, could attend his daughter’s high school graduation.  Congrats to Joe Girardi for showing (and the Steinbrenner Family for allowing) that family does truly matter.

Credit:  YES Network

A lost night in St. Petersburg...

Rob Thomson, you’re fired (just kidding…well, maybe a little serious).  One-game manager Rob Thomson, filling in for Joe Girardi, failed in his one attempt to steer the ship.  Back to the bench for you, Rob.  The Yankees were undone by a pitcher who couldn’t make it more than five innings, thereby placing a heavier burden on the bullpen, a bad defensive play at third, and Thomson’s decision to leave his best hitters on the bench in a three-up, three-down ninth inning that led to the 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Luis Severino only gave up one run, a first inning double by Logan Morrison that scored Evan Longoria, and struck out seven Rays.  But he gave up five hits and three walks with 89 pitches (only 59 for strikes) and was gone by the sixth inning.  

After the Rays had tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning at 2-2 with runners at second and third and two outs, the Yankees could have avoided further damage.  With third baseman Ronald Torreyes thinking about the runner advancing to home plate, a hopper by Rickie Weeks Jr went under his glove into left field, scoring the two runners on base.  Weeks Jr was credited with a double in a very liberal decision as it probably should have been an error by Toe.

Matt Holliday did his part in trying to bring the Yankees back.  After a walk to Brett Gardner and a pop-out by Jacoby Ellsbury to open the eighth, Holliday homered to right to tie the game at 4.  The Rays came right back in the bottom of the inning when Tyler Clippard (0-2) gave up a run-scoring single by Evan Longoria after putting two men on base through walks.  Longoria has gotten off to a slow start this season but against the Yankees, he always looks All-World.  A 4-for-5 night, with two runs scored and the RBI, ensured the Yankees were playing from behind.  

Credit:  Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports

Still, the Yankees could have rallied again in the ninth inning, but Thomson kept both Gary Sanchez and Aaron Hicks on the bench so we’ll never know.  Sanchez and Hicks, both of whom had the night off, could only watch as Chris Carter struck out (surprise, surprise) and Austin Romine grounded out to end the game. 

The loss dropped the Yankees to 24-15.  With Baltimore’s 5-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in extra innings, the O’s closed the gap in the AL East to just a half-game again.  The Boston Red Sox lost so I guess the evening wasn’t a complete disappointment.

Welcome back, Joe Girardi.  I will be glad to have you back in the saddle for today’s game.  I hope the graduation ceremony was a tremendous success for Serena and the family, but it will be great to have you making the lineup decisions today.  

Have a great Saturday!  Let’s win the games we should win and not give them away.

Evan Longoria Manning Third for New York in 2017? Hmmm Maybe

When Pete Rose talks I have to say that I am not one that usually listens, not anymore lately. I am kind of bitter towards the “Hit Man” if I’m being completely honest after spending so many years defending him and his claim to a spot in the Hall of Fame eventually. Pete not only lied but made me look like a fool but one thing he knows maybe better than gambling and lying is baseball so when he talks about the sport I have to listen. Rose spoke about something Yankees related recently and I have to admit that it makes a ton of sense for New York, it involves making a trade for the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria and plugging him in at the hot corner as soon as the 2017 season. That’s the ultimate “Get Greedy” move that spawned this blog and its name. Well done.

Why does this make sense for New York? The Yankees third basemen combined for an OPS of just .690 last season which ranked them 29^th overall out of 30 teams in Major League Baseball. You don’t have to be a statmatician or a fan of Moneyball to know that 29^th best out of 20 teams means the Yankees got little to no production out of their third basemen in 2016, or as I like to say “Chase Headley sucks.” Headley, who sucks in case you forgot, is set to make $13 million in 2017 and 2018 before finally hitting the free agency market just in time for Miguel Andujar to come up, well assuming the team doesn’t take the Pete Rose suggestion and acquire Evan Longoria from the Tampa Bay Rays first.

Now again this was just a suggestion by Rose as he stated he wanted to see great players like Longoria on bigger market teams who make the postseason and he simply used the Yankees and the Chicago Cubs as examples but the need is definitely there for New York. Longoria wouldn’t come cheap in terms of prospects or dollars as he is still owed $95 million on his current contract with Tampa Bay and presumably the Rays would expect a King’s Ransom for him whether they were trading him within the division or not.

Would Tampa Bay entertain it? Maybe. They traded away everyone else not named Chris Archer and Longoria, have recently traded Logan Forsythe and at least listened to offers for Archer as recently as last season so you never truly know what’s going to happen with the Rays. Stay tuned I guess because Pete Rose may finally be onto something good for the game of Major League Baseball. 

The Key to Success?...

For me, the key to the 2017 season is Michael Pineda.

I remember when he first came up to the Bigs and was viewed as a potential solid #2 starter behind Felix Hernandez in Seattle.  He had some great starts in 2011, finishing 9-10 for the Mariners, with 3.74 ERA in 171 innings.  Or at least he helped my fantasy baseball team that year.  It should have been a spring board to bigger and better things, but it has never come to fruition due to injuries and inconsistency.

I can't really compare Pineda to CC Sabathia as they were two completely different pitchers in their 27th years but I will anyway.  By age 27, Sabathia had 117 wins, whereas Pineda  has only 32.  It's disappointing because Pineda has every bit the talent Sabathia had at that age.  Pineda might not have the ceiling of a clear cut #1 pitcher like Sabathia did at the time but he's not too far behind in overall talent.  Application of that talent has been a vastly different story.

At age 28, Sabathia, in his first year with the Yankees, went 19-8 with 3.37 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 230 innings.  It's hard to predict that kind of success for the 28-year-old Pineda considering he's never come close to Sabathia's numbers.  From the time he joined the Cleveland Indians at age 21 to age 27, CC never won less than 11 games (averaging over 14 wins per season).  For Big Mike, the 12 wins in 2015 represents his only double-digit win total.  If he could win 13-15 games for the Yankees this year, it would have a huge impact.  

The Yankees carry so many questions in their rotation this year.  But for Bryan Van Dusen's benefit, I will forego any requests for Jose Quintana.  

Masahiro Tanaka has been outstanding, if not spectacular, this spring and is showing signs this will be a dominant year for him.  But we live in fear of hearing the words, "You know that slight tear in the UCL...".  I am cautiously optimistic that this will be a career year for him and  that he'll be mentioned among the candidates for Cy Young at the end of the season.  He may not win it but he should at least be in the conversation.

CC will be CC…the age 36 version.  Last year, he averaged nearly 6 innings per start.  He'll need to do it again.  The days of 19 or 20 wins are over, but if he can just pitch to keep the team in games, life should be good.  We'll let the bats of Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird do the rest.

For the final two spots, I am still forecasting Luis Severino and Bryan Mitchell.  I think it's a certainty that Severino starts but the fifth spot could be easily taken by Chad Green or Luis Cessa.  I like Mitchell and he's gotten the most looks this spring over the other back-end rotation competitors as Joe Girardi makes his evaluations.  But regardless of who wins those final two spots, there will surely be a few bumps and bruises along the way.

With so many questions looming throughout the rotation, Big Mike needs to man up, put on his big boy pants and pitch like we know he can.  He needs to have Tanaka's back and make sure that teams fear the 1-2 punch.  

No pressure, Michael.  As actor Rob Schneider says, "You CAN do it!"...

Daniel Burch has been preaching pitcher Jordan Montgomery all spring and now the 6'6" lefty is starting to get the love from other blog sites.  Although Montgomery won't break camp with the Yankees, I predict that he'll make his first start on Sunday, June 4th in Toronto against the Blue Jays.    Whether it is caused by injuries or if the back-end of the rotation is failing, I think we'll see Montgomery sooner rather than later.  

My thoughts about Pete Rose saying that Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria should be playing for the Yankees or the Cubs?  I honestly  do not care what Pete Rose thinks (although admittedly Longoria wouldn't look too shabby in pinstripes).  At 31, Longoria doesn’t fit the youth movement in the Bronx.  As for displacing Kris Bryant in Chicago?  Yeah, right.  Daniel Burch, take this as a sign that you are now too old to play for the Yankees.

In yesterday’s Grapefruit League action, the Yankees started off the second half of the Spring schedule on the wrong foot, falling to the Tampa Bay Rays, 10-6.  Despite giving up a wind-assisted home run, Luis Severino pitched well and looks to be in control of the drive for the #4 slot in the rotation.  The new Core were represented by Gary Sanchez's solo homer and a 2-for-3 performance by Greg Bird.  However, the man of the hour (as he is most days) was Gleyber Torres.  He doubled and homered, driving in 3 RBI’s.  Like Bird, he was also 2-for-3.  He's making this game look way too easy.

With the loss, the Yankees fell to 13-5.  Today, the Yankees face (again) Clay Buchholz and the Philadelphia Phillies at Steinbrenner Field.  It’s another opportunity to pin a loss on the former Red Sock.  The aforementioned Michael Pineda will be on the mound for the home team.  As long as Gleyber Torres is in the lineup, I’m good!

Have a great Wednesday!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 5/27

The New York Yankees made the trip down to Florida overnight and will face off with the Tampa Bay Rays inside the Trop. In front of the presumable 1500 fans tonight, 900 of them being Yankees fans, the New York Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to face off with Chris Archer to begin the series. The Rays send three of their best pitchers to the mound this series while the Yankees counter with three of their best as well. This is going to either be extremely fun or extremely, extremely frustrating for New York and their fans. There will be no in between.

Tanaka has been everything the Yankees have advertised him to be lately which is a sight for sore eyes in New York. Tanaka has been getting stronger and sharper with almost every start this season and has seemingly gotten the train back on the rails after a pair of rocky starts earlier in the month. Tanaka faces one of the teams the Yankees are chasing in the standings tonight, no pressure.

Archer is coming into this start fresh off a disappointing start against the Detroit Tigers last time out. In the start Archer lasted just three innings and allowed six runs seeing his ERA balloon all the way up to 5.16. Archer doesn’t tend to have back-to-back bad starts and Archer doesn’t generally pitch badly against the Yankees, his 5-2 record and 2.25 career ERA are proof of that, so except a lot of frustrated Yankees fans tonight in Tampa.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside of Tropicana Field and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV. This rivalry doesn’t hold the same luster it once did with James Loney and David Price on the Rays side but that doesn’t mean I’m sleeping on this team either. They still have a talented core, Evan Longoria and some dude named Archer so this will by no means be an easy series for either side. Let’s just hope this side gets the better of that side and New York brings home another series victory. Go Yankees!

Tampa Bay Rays Will Visit Cuba on March 22nd

The Tampa Bay Rays, along with a little help from President Barack Obama, will visit the native land of Cuba later this month to play the first exhibition MLB game on the countries soil in quite some time. Major League Baseball has announced that the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team will play an exhibition game between the two teams on March 22, 2016 inside the historic Estadio Latinamericano in Havana, Cuba.

The last time an MLB team was in Cuba was 1999 when the Baltimore Orioles took on the Cuban national team in Havana. This meeting will mark the first between the two countries since the U.S and Cuba announced plans to normalize relations between each other.

This is a historic event and an exciting event for all fans of the game. Frankly, I can’t wait!

Comparing the Yankees & Rays Lineups

We’ve had so much success in comparing the lineup for the New York Yankees to both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays that I decided to compare the Bronx Bombers to the rest of the American League East as well. That continues this afternoon with a comparison of the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays struggled to put runs on the board in 2015 and relied heavily on their pitching, led by Chris Archer and Nathan Karns. Karns is gone and Brad Miller is in, will that improve the Rays offense and put to bed their offensive woes that kept them in fourth place in the AL East in 2015? Not likely but let’s take a look anyway.

Catcher

Brian McCann/ Rene Rivera

First Base

Mark Teixeira/ James Loney

Second Base

Robert Refsnyder/ Logan Forsythe

Third Base

Chase Headley/ Evan Longoria

Shortstop

Didi Gregorius/ Brad Miller

Left Field

Brett Gardner/ Desmond Jennings

Center Field

Jacoby Ellsbury/ Kevin Kiermaier

Right Field

Carlos Beltran/ Steven Souza Jr. 

Designated Hitter

Alex Rodriguez/ Logan Morrison

Looking at the final tally I have the New York Yankees “winning” six spots out of the nine. Remember, bolded player wins. The Rays offense stunk up the joint for much of the 2015 season but the team stuck around in the second Wild Card chase despite it all. The Rays are now trading from a position of power, prospects and pitching, in hopes of improving the offense a bit. As it stands right now, and again we will do another one of these before the 2016 season begins after the free agency dust begins to settle, the Rays offense is only marginally better than it was in 2015. The pitching, in my opinion, took a step back both in the rotation and the bullpen. Alex Cobb will be back and Matt Moore should be better but that means very little when you’re losing games 1-0 and 2-1. As it stands today I see a lot of that happening and a lot of, well no probably not a lot of but a few, unhappy fans inside Tropicana Field this season. 

Recap: Yankees 3, Rays 1

Luis Severino tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and the Yankees snuck past the Rays, 3-1, on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.

Never Give In: Severino clawed his way to career win number four, holding the Rays to one earned run on six hits while walking one and striking out seven. The 21-year-old rookie -- who beat Tampa Bay for the second time in as many weeks -- ran into trouble in the second and fifth, but hunkered down with runners in scoring position as the hosts went 0-for-7 in such situations.

Doing Everything: First base sensation Greg Bird drove in two of the Yankees' runs, doubling home Carlos Beltran in the second before taking Andrew Bellatti deep to right in the ninth. In all, Bird plated four of New York's 10 runs in the series, his two homers bringing his total for the season to seven.

Clutch: Chase Headley blooped an RBI single to left with two on and two out in the sixth, increasing the Yankees' lead to 2-0 against Chris Archer. Headley had been hitless to that point in the contest, but following a lengthy battle that saw Archer's pitch count reach 108, was able to softly flare a slider to the opposite field.

Showing Off the Athleticism: Brian McCann ended the fifth with a diving catch in foul territory, retiring Evan Longoria with men on second and third. Severino originally looked like he might make the play -- he charged in from the mound and was near McCann when it happened -- but the catcher ultimately located the pop-up first and in doing so put a stop to the Rays' rally.

A Unique Escape: Dellin Betances walked three consecutive upon entering with two out in the seventh, but avoided any damage with a strikeout of James Loney. Betances was appearing for the first time since Sunday, and simply had no control over his knuckle curve until Loney came to the dish.

Next Up: The Yankees will have their final off-day of the regular season on Thursday, returning to action Friday with a crosstown visit to the Mets. Masahiro Tanaka (12-6, 3.40 ERA) will get the nod versus lefty Steven Matz (3-0, 1.88 ERA), beginning at 7:10 p.m. ET on YES and WFAN.

Recap: Yankees 5, Rays 2

Luis Severino lasted a career-high 6 1/3 innings and the Yankees cruised past the Rays, 5-2, on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

Not Bad for a Rookie, or Anyone: Severino yielded just one earned and seven hits en route to his third consecutive win, walking three and striking out five. The confident-looking youngster ran into trouble in the first, second and sixth, but ultimately allowed nothing more than an Evan Longoria solo shot on the evening.

Who Needs Baserunners?: The Yankees put just five men on against the Rays' Jake Odorizzi, but managed to score each one of them. Alex Rodriguez began the outburst with a two-run homer in the second, followed by a Brian McCann solo blast in the fourth and another two-run bomb by Greg Bird in the sixth.

At Least it Wasn't a Hip Issue: Jacoby Ellsbury left the game in the fifth with flu-like symptoms, being replaced by Chris Young in the batting order. Ellsbury may not be available on Saturday, but the Yankees can still be thankful it wasn't anything more serious.

Laboring, But Prevailing: Justin Wilson relieved Severino with a runner on in the seventh, and for a while, didn't appear to have his best stuff. The lefty had to use 10 pitches before Brandon Guyer lined out to the warning track, ending the frame shortly afterwards with a fly ball from Longoria.

The Big 3-0: Andrew Miller recorded the final two outs of the ninth for his 30th save of the season, becoming just the fifth AL closer to reach such a total this year. The other four on that list -- Brad Boxberger, Glen Perkins, Houston Street, and Zach Britton -- have all blown at least two saves, essentially putting Miller in a category of his own.

Next Up: The Yankees and Rays continue this series with a matinee on Saturday, the Yanks sending Nathan Eovaldi (14-2, 4.17 ERA) to the hill versus Tampa Bay's Matt Moore (1-3, 8.78 ERA). First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET, airing live on Fox Sports 1 and WFAN.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 4/17

The New York Yankees travel down to Tampa St. Pete this evening to face off against another one of their American League East rivals in the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees have yet to win a series this season and they enter a stadium that has not been friendly to them in the past in Tropicana Field to face a red hot team that started the 2015 season well. That usually sounds like a recipe for disaster but the Yankees haven’t shown any quit this season so it should be another fun and entertaining series all weekend long. To start the series off the Yankees will send Adam Warren to the mound to face off with the Rays starter Nathan Karns. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Warren is making his second start of the young season tonight and fifth of his career after taking the loss in his season debut against the Boston Red Sox. Warren allowed just two runs, one earned, in 5.1 IP but the Yankees offense was completely shut down in the contest by Joe Kelly. Warren holds a career 0-1 record with a 3.06 ERA against the Rays with all 10 appearances coming out of the Yankees bullpen.

• Karns is also making his second start of the season after recording a quality start in his season debut against the Miami Marlins. Karns earned his first victory by holding the powerful Marlins lineup to just one earned run on two hits and two walks. Karns did go seven innings in the contest and struck out six batters for Tampa Bay in the victory. 

Let’s hope the bats come alive and the pitching can keep Evan Longoria and company down long enough to get two or three wins and get the heck out of here. I’ve never liked watching games inside Tropicana Field or watching the Yankees play there on TV, which might have a lot to do with the Rays dominance here, so the sooner the exit the better for New York. Go Yankees!!!

More on the Rays Fire Sale

Last time we spoke about the potential fire sale that is about to go on in Tampa Bay I explained how my semi sarcastic comment claiming that a house cleaning was about to go down in Tampa was killed on Twitter. Well a Joel Peralta, Jeremy Hellickson and Cesar Ramos trade later and a Jose Molina DFA rumors are starting to circulate around more potential trade happenings with the Rays.

Over the weekend my folder full of news sites that I have bookmarked were loaded with potential Rays players being put on the block by Tampa. Some of these players included Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist, and basically everyone else not named Evan Longoria and Alex Cobb (for now). This sure sounds like the team is ready to blow it up and start all over to me.

When the Rays announced two rookie managerial candidates in Raul Ibanez and Doug Glanville I knew the team was ready to start over. I just hope the person who killed me on Twitter for suggesting that it was coming after the team “traded their 7^th starter away” and a “terrible relief pitcher” see’s the error of his ways and acknowledges that maybe he isn’t the smartest Rays fan in the world. That’s all that I ask. 

Rays Having a Fire Sale?

"I'm taking your spot bro." - Evan Longoria

I made a semi-sarcastic comment on Twitter a few weeks back when I said that I felt like the Tampa Bay Rays were going to have a fire sale and I got absolutely killed by a few (presumably) Rays fans. This was shortly after the team traded relief pitcher Cesar Ramos, like I said I was being sarcastic, and were in talks of trading Jeremy Hellickson. Since then the team has saved a couple million by designating Jose Molina for assignment, saved a couple more million by trading away relief pitcher Joel Peralta to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and have made names like Matt Joyce available in trades. Kind of sounds like the beginnings of a fire sale, no?

This won't be a Florida Marlins fire sale, I can't see Tampa trading Evan Longoria, but I think we are in the beginning stages of it. If Tampa makes Ben Zobrist available, which they are expected to, and even consider listening on guys like Alex Cobb or Matt Moore my suspicions will be confirmed correct in my eyes. I can't say I'm disappointed that Tampa is possibly gearing up for a fire sale either, sell, sell, sell if you ask me.

New management, new GM, possibly a rookie manager in Raul Ibanez, if it looks like a duck...

Big Hits By Headley and Ryan Lift Yankees to Sweep-Avoiding Win Over Rays

Brandon McCarthy tossed seven innings of two-run ball and the Chase Headley/Brendan Ryan duo connected on a pair of RBI Doubles tonight as the Yankees avoided a sweep of this midweek series with a 3-2 win over the Rays.

For the Yanks, though they collected just four hits in it, the W was their first since Saturday, when they beat the Orioles by the same score. 

And yes, the two contests share a lot of similarities.

For one, in this evening's competition New York's offense really only had two good at-bats, coming in the fifth and sixth.

In the former of that couple, the aforementioned doubles by Headley and Ryan turned a 1-0 defecit into a 2-1 lead against Alex Cobb (6 IP, 3 ER), with Chris Young also contributing to the rally with a leadoff HBP.

Then in the latter, thanks to a Derek Jeter single and a couple of walks that loaded the bases, the Yankees were able to cross home again on a hard-hit sac fly by Brett Gardner that was caught at the wall by Wil Myers, doubling their advantage and essentially ending the ballgame.  

Yes, in the sixth Tampa Bay got one back on an Evan Longoria groundout, but since McCarthy bounced back with an immaculate performance in the seventh and Dellin Betances and David Robertson put up zeros in the last two frames the Yanks still ended up emerging victorious, something that thankfully improved their record to a solid three games above .500. 

Kuroda, Gardner Lead Yankees to Rubber Game Win in Tampa

Hiroki Kuroda surrendered just 2 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings and Brett Gardner connected on a big two-run single today as the Yankees beat the Rays, 4-2, in the rubber game of this three-game set.

In his start this afternoon, interestingly, Kuroda only struck out one hitter, a stat that usually indicates ineffectiveness. 

Fortunetaly, though, that wasn't the case in this one, with the veteran allowing just four total hits to get the W, his eighth of the year.

Yes, for the first four frames he was haunted by another rough bottom of the first in which Evan Longoria grounded Ben Zobrist home, but since the Yanks still found a way to rally off Tampa Bay's Jeremy Hellickson (5 IP, 3 ER) in their half of the fifth things did finish relatively stress-free for the visitors, who collected a trio in that at-bat when Gardner collected the aforementioned single and Jacoby Ellsbury drove him in with another knock. 

No, things weren't technically over at that point, but thanks to nearly-perfect relief from Shawn Kelley, Dellin Betances, and David Robertson as a well a solo homer by Mark Teixeira in the eighth they soon would be, with that performance by Robertson impressively earning him his 33rd save.

The Daily Dozen - August 16, 2014

The Daily Dozen - August 16th, 2014 Edition
(Twelve Takeaways from Today's Game vs. the Devil Rays)

1. The Yankees have had 51 games started this year by a Rookie.  Is there any wonder that they are only 3 games above .500?  In all actuality, they have pitched rather brilliantly and have showed poise under the spotlight.  If only their offense would respond to well pitched games.

"No sweat dude!" (Photo Credit: USAToday.com)

2. This game was a very pivotal game for the Yankees.  A win would ensure that they leave New York South with at least a 1 game lead over the Devil Rays.  A loss would put them in a tie with the Devil Rays and likely 9 games behind the Orioles and 5 games out of the 2nd Wild Card spot with only 41 games left to play.  Not good odds.

3. Martin Prado hits a 2-run home run in the 2nd.  This home run was the first hit of the game off of the newly acquired Drew Smyly.  I bet he wasn't "smyling" after that one as he gave up a 2 run lead to the Yankees! (wocka, wocka, wocka!)  Prado's home run was his 7th of the season.

Classic T-Shirt by Kenny Durkin...well played sir!

4. The Yankees only had 3 hits through 5 innings.  Those 3 hits were by the 7-8-9 hitters in the lineup.  I'm not going to say that the heart of the lineup has been bad lately, but...wait...yeah, that's what I'm saying...absolutely not clutch lately.

5. Sigh.  Jacoby Ellsbury's pathetic attempt at a bunt in the 6th inning left my speechless.  Really?  A pop-up to the catcher?  Really?

6. Drew Smyly came over to the Rays in the David Price trade.  Let's take a look at their lines since the deal, shall we?

The top numbers are that of Mr. Smyly.  He is 1-1 with 20 IP, 14 hits, 5 ER, 1 HR, has 19 Ks, and has pitched over 100 pitches in each game.  The bottom numbers are Mr. Price's.  He is currently pitching through 2 innings tonight against Seattle and hasn't given up a run, but in the first 2 games for the Tigers he has 0 decisions, has pitched 14.2 innings, given up 13 hits, 7 ER, 3 HRs, has 16 Ks, and has pitched 112 pitches in each game.  What an even swap, huh?

7. Evan Longoria has 26 home runs against the Yankees since 2008.  That is the most in the majors.  He also leads the majors with 74 RBI in that span against the Yankees.  Good thing he didn't add to those stats in tonight's game!

8. The Rays have left more men on base than any other team in baseball.  At least that's what I heard during the Fox Sports 1 broadcast.  By the eye test, I would have said that the Yankees led easily in that category.  According to TeamRankings.com the Yankees are actually right in the middle of the pack in LOB with 14.38 per game.  The Devil Rays have left 15.48 per game, by far the most in the majors.

Chart Courtesy of TeamRankings.com

9. Singles, singles, singles.  No, it's not an advertisment for Match.com...base hits got to Shane Greene in the 6th inning as his fastball started coming up in the zone (i.e. not sinking anymore) at around 80 pitches thrown. He left the game in the 7th after his defense failed him at 102 pitches and 10 strikeouts (a career high).  Shane Greene definitely deserved to win this game!

10. I hate the defensive shift.  What I can't stand even more is that the hitters haven't adjusted to the shift yet.  As of tonight's game the following teams had used the shift the most in the majors:  Houston Astros - 1288 shifts, New York Yankees - 851, Tampa Bay Devil Rays - 659.  Joe Madden...this is all your fault!

11. Did anyone see Yunel Escobar's face when Betances unleashed his slider?  I mean what do you do when you are getting pounded by 99 mph fastballs and then he sends an 84 mph slider in there?  This is what you do...

"Are you freaking kidding me...?"

12. Guess who has the most hits versus the Devil Rays all-time?  You guessed it El Capitan, Mr. Derek #Re2pect Jeter!  With his game winning RBI single in the 9th he now has 315 hits.  The next closest you ask? Alex Rodriguez with 212, followed by Ortiz (208), Damon (198), and Cano (188).

Roberts' 9th Inning Homer Wasted in Extras as Yankees Drop Third Straight to Rays, 4-3

Going into this season's trade deadline, it's common knowledge that the Yankees have a lot of holes to fill. 

With Michael Pineda set to miss most of summer and the entire infield struggling to hit above .250, it's obvious that a solid starter and a reliable bat would be much appreciated, although after tonight the Yanks just might have one more kind of player to acquire.

A long reliever.

Yes, that notion sounds a little dumb, but after Jose Ramirez blew another game this evening it just might become legitimate, as the Bombers fell to the Rays again, 4-3.

To start off his top of the twelfth outing, Ramirez actually retired the always-dangerous Evan Longoria and James Loney, a success that quickly went for nothing, as the youngster would go on to walk Brandon Guyer and surrender an RBI Single to Logan Forsythe that broke the tie.

That sudden and painful collapse wasted a pair of scoreless innings the Yankees had gotten from the struggling Shawn Kelley, as well as a huge, game-continuing solo home run from Brian Roberts in the bottom of the ninth. 

Prior to those seemingly momentum-shifting occurrences, David Phelps also gave the Bombers 5.2 frames of two-run ball (solo homers from Matt Joyce and Kevin Kiermaier), almost matching the line of the Rays' Chris Archer, who, besides an Brett Gardner triple and Derek Jeter groundout in New York's half of the third, was great in his 21-out performance.

Still, as I said earlier, everything the Yanks did in this one ended up being worthless, as they dropped to an ugly 2-7 in their last nine contests, 2.5 games out of the division lead, and 3 games out of the second and final wild card spot, again proving that things are not actually getting better for them.

Nuno, Leroux beat up in 14-inning loss to Rays

Vidal Nuno surrendered 4 earned runs in 4.2 innings and youngster Chris Leroux gave up another 5 in the top of the 14th tonight as the Yankees depressingly lost this series' opener to the Rays, 10-5. In those 4.2 frames, Nuno was overall solid, inducing two 1-2-3 innings in the first and third, but in the end a couple of walks, an unfair lost-in-the-sky triple from Evan Longoria, and a solo home run from Desmond Jennings caused the team to lose. 

Anyway, the Bombers offense, judging by their 14 hits, was okay in this loss, collecting three home runs from Brian McCann (2-run), Mark Teixeira, and Alfonso Soriano before scoring for the final time in the bottom of the ninth when Jacoby Ellsbury singled home the tying run. Those two shots from Teixeira and Soriano, interestingly, came back-to-back in the eighth off TB's Joel Peralta, tying the game at 4.

Unfortunately, the good for the Pinstripes stopped there, as their offense stranded a combined 7 runners in the 11th, 12th, and 13th innings. In that last frame, the Yanks actually had the bases loaded with two outs, before Derek Jeter grounded out as part of his tough-to-watch, 0-for-7 performance.