A Forgettable Day in Hot, Humid H-Town…

Astros 8, Yankees 1…

It was nothing more than a good ol’ fashioned butt kickin’.  Unfortunately, the Yankees were on the receiving end as they lost the game and the series to the Houston Astros.

It was a dismal performance by starter Luis Severino (5-4).  He was tagged for 9 hits and 6 runs in 5 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out seven.  The outing inflated his season ERA to 3.52.  He left trailing 5-0 in the sixth, with one out, after George Springer laced a double to center.  He was charged for the run when Springer scored on Carlos Correa’s single against Yankees reliever Tyler Webb.

Credit:  Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

If Friday’s win was a complete team victory, this would have to be classified as a complete team loss.  You know things are bad when the only RBI producer is first baseman Chris Carter.  He had a run-scoring single in the 9th to prevent the shutout.  Aaron Judge continues to hit (2-for-4) but he also had two strikeouts.  Gary Sanchez, following Judge in the batting order, was 2-for-3.  Unfortunately, those guys had no help and the result was an easy win for the Astros.

The Astros got home runs from Marwin Gonzalez (2nd inning, off Severino) and Yuli Gurriel (7th inning, off Domingo German).  Carlos Correa was 4-for-5 with 3 RBI’s.  He doubled twice and all of his RBI’s came with two outs.  

Credit:  Bob Levey-Getty Images

The Yankees (43-37) fell further behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East standings with the loss.  They are now 3 games behind the Red Sox, who annihilated the Toronto Blue Jays, 15-1, powered by 8 RBI’s from Mookie Betts.  The Tampa Bay Rays finally lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 7-1, so they remain two games away from the Yankees.  

This was not a fun game and not one that I really care to revisit so let’s move on.  Today is a new day...

2017 All-Star Game Selections…

Aaron Judge was the highest vote getter for the American League All-Star Team with 4,488,702 votes.  He’ll start in the outfield.  He’ll be joined by Starlin Castro and Gary Sanchez, both of whom were selected as reserves.  Luis Severino, freshly off Sunday’s beating, was added to the pitching staff, along with Dellin Betances.  Betances will be making his fourth straight ASG appearance.  Congrats to Aaron, Starlin, Gary, Luis and Dellin!

Credit:  Bob Levey-Getty Images

Didi Gregorius is on the final fan vote ballot so he has a chance although the time lost on the disabled list will probably work against him.  Nonetheless, he got my vote.  The AL Final Vote ballot is open until Thursday at 4 pm ET.  

The ASG will be played next Tuesday, July 11th, in Miami, FL.  

Next Up:  Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York…

Continuing the 4th of July Weekend, the Yankees are home to face the AL East cellar dwellers.  Although the Blue Jays are better than their 37-44 record, they were swept in Boston over the weekend.  They’ll come to the Bronx looking for blood...

Here are the scheduled pitching match-ups:

TODAY

Blue Jays:  Marcus Stroman (8-4, 3.41 ERA)

Yankees:  Masahiro Tanaka (6-7, 5.56 ERA)

TUESDAY, 4TH OF JULY

Blue Jays:  J.A. Happ (2-5, 3.71 ERA)

Yankees:  CC Sabathia (7-2, 3.46 ERA)

WEDNESDAY

Blue Jays:  Marco Estrada (4-6, 4.86 ERA)

Yankees:  Michael Pineda (8-4, 4.05 ERA)

Odds & Ends…

The Yankees seem to be on a mission to rebuild the Baltimore Orioles bullpen.  After trading Richard Bleier to the O’s in Spring Training, they’ve shipped 25-year-old RHP Matt Wotherspoon to Baltimore for undisclosed international signing bonus pool money.  In 21 games with Double A Trenton and Triple A Scranton, Wotherspoon was 3-1 with 1.85 ERA.  He has struck out 45 batters in 39 innings.  After the trade, the Mountain Top, PA native was assigned to the Triple A Norfolk Tides.

The Yankees have reached agreements with the following international prospects.  The number indicates their ranking on Baseball America’s Top 50 international prospects:

04.  Everson Pereira, OF, Venezuela

11.  Ronny Rojas, SS, Dominican Republic (expected to sign in August when he turns 16)

20.  Roberto Chirinos, SS, Venezuela

28.  Anthony Garcia, OF, Dominican Republic

Anthony Garcia / Credit:  Pinstriped Prospects

Jorge Mateo is tearing up Double A.  In 6 games since his promotion from Class A, Mateo is batting .522/.621/.913 (12-for-23) with 3 triples, a homer, and 10 RBI’s for the Trenton Thunder.  He’s stolen two bags although he has been caught three times.  Sounds like the Yanks former top prospect wants to join the MLB Debut Party in the Bronx.  

The Yankees expect to activate both Adam Warren and CC Sabathia prior to Tuesday's game.  In all likelihood, Starlin Castro will be activated before the All-Star break.  It will be good to get these guys back in action.  

Happy Monday!  Now that the Bombers are back in the Bronx, let’s get back to winning!  Go Yankees!

NJ.com Opened My Eyes to Matt Wotherspoon

I have to admit that my personal feelings towards this whole media, journalism and blogging thing is probably a little bit different than most people. Some people see sites like this one or others as competition where as I see other sites and media outlets as inspiration, sources of information and part of the same team. When I find something interesting that I’ve seen elsewhere I, unlike certain people whose name we don’t mention on this site, have zero issue linking back and giving them full credit as I talk about it. With that theme in mind I have to give kudos to the crew over at NJ.com because as I like to take credit for introducing the likes of Chance Adams and Jordan Montgomery to the casual Yankees fan that site actually introduced me to a prospect recently and his name is Matt Wotherspoon.

Wotherspoon was drafted in the 34^th round of the 2014 MLB First Year Players Draft, so excuse me if I didn’t exactly know his name and what he brought to the table off the top of my head, by the New York Yankees at 6’1” and 210 lbs., a great frame for a power pitcher in today’s game. Wotherspoon is 25-years old and is heading into spring training camp this season fresh off a 2016 campaign that included stops in Double-A Trenton with the Trenton Thunder and in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. While in Trenton with the Thunder Wotherspoon posted a 4-2 record with a 2.66 ERA in 26 games, 24 appearances coming out of the pen and two appearances coming as a starting pitcher. This prompted the Yankees to bring Wotherspoon up to Triple-A for a 10-game stint that included one start and a 2-0 record with a 2.01 ERA. Impressive numbers all around and numbers that are definitely eye-catching for a team lacking in middle relief going forward.

Wotherspoon will likely start the 2017 season as a relief pitcher and a spot starter in Triple-A for the RailRiders, think Adam Warren here people, but he should conceivably make his MLB debut this season as long as he is healthy and doesn’t become his own worst enemy on the mound like some young pitchers tend to do. The talent is there and so is the experience so now it’s only a matter of time before Wotherspoon is sporting the Yankees pinstripes, and that time will likely be this coming season.

Thank you to NJ.com and their crew over there for bringing this guy to mine and our attention. I always enjoy reading about any and all Yankees prospects, especially before they break onto the scene in a big way. I’ve got my eye on you now Matt, no pressure. Enjoy your day Yankees family. 

Reliever Prospects Set to Step Up for Yankees

"Red Sox vs. Yankees: 8/5/2015" (CC BY 2.0) by  apardavila 

The New York Yankees might have the second most expensive bullpen in the MLB but their relief pitchers have been singled out for the franchise's hugely disappointing 2016 campaign. In spite of the quality currently in the Yankees bullpen, they currently find themselves middle of the pack in terms of their ERA, with an FIP bettered by all but two other teams in the league.


With relievers Chasen Shreve and Kirby Yates both failing to impress so far this season and with a number of other pitchers taking up space in the medical department, it may be that the franchise look at some prospects already on their books.

Here are three players that could potentially earn surprise call-ups this year as the Yankees look to salvage their 2016 campaign. 

Dietrich Enns: A pitcher who leans very much towards precision over power, Dietrich Enns may well earn himself a call-up based on on the alternate options he brings to the rotation. Drafted in 2012, the left-hander was promoted into the starting line-up in 2013 only to be forced under the knife with Tommy John surgery the following year. Impressive 2015 and 2016 campaigns in Double-A Trenton have now breathed fresh life into Enns' Yankees' career, and a sensational April in which he allowed zero runs, the 25-year-old was named Player of the Month, earning a place as an Eastern League All Star before making the step up to Scranton. 

Matt Wotherspoon: For a Yankees team currently as long as 40/1 with the latest Bet365 MLB odds, it might seem as though placing their hopes on a 20th round pick from the 2014 draft, but Matt Wotherspoon may well surprise a few people this year. Having earned his place on the rotation last season, the pitcher recorded a very respectable 3.84 ERA during his 81 innings of action after moving to Trenton and skipping High-A ball. Currently playing in the Triple-A, where he boasts an eye-catching 1.65 ERA, Wotherspoon is knocking on the door of earning a recall to the Yankees rotation if the team's pitching continues to struggle. There might be a number of more higher profile pitchers ahead of him in the pecking order, but Wotherspoon's impressive stats this season may well be enough to earn him a call-up. 

Giovanny Gallegos: Well, it's been quite a journey for Gallegos. After being snapped up as an international signing from Mexico before the 2012 season, the youngster failed to adapt to life in the big leagues, eventually finding himself farmed out. Last year saw Gallegos rack up an excellent 1.35 ERA and 2.13 FIP. And 2016 has been a similar story for the Mexican in the upper minors, currently boasting a very nice 1.41 ERA. With a real talent for striking out batters, as well as a fast ball climbing into the mid-90's, there is a possibility the Yankees may feel as though it is worth handing the 24-year-old the chance to prove whether or not he can really succeed in the MLB.