Rusney Castillo Off Yankees Board, Signs w/ Boston

Who didn't see this one coming? Rusney Castillo will not be a member of the New York Yankees but will instead sign with the Boston Red Sox. Castillo got a seven year deal worth a rumored $72.5 million in guaranteed money from Boston. This is really a six year deal as the 2014 season counts as one of the seven years and will keep Castillo in Boston through the 2020 season, or his age 33 season. The Red Sox saved some money on the luxury tax by technically making this a seven year deal with a small base salary for 2014.

Castillo will have a limited no trade clause and will earn a pro-rated amount of the $500 K league minimum salary for the rest of 2014. Boston has out smarted the Yankees once again. Go figure.

8/22 Yankees Game Preview vs. Chicago White Sox

The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox start a three game set tonight at Yankee Stadium in the first of a three game set in the Bronx this weekend. Tonight the Yankees will send Shane Greene to the mound to face off with the White Sox John Danks. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on MY9, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Greene is coming off a start in which he allowed just two runs in six innings of work against the Tampa Bay Rays down in Tropicana Field. Greene struck out a career high 10 batters in that start and allowed just one walk in the Yankees victory.

Danks is coming off easily his best start of the second half of 2014 in which he allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings of work against the Toronto Blue Jays. Danks is 1-2 with a 8.37 ERA in the second half this season. 

The Yankees are back home so come see the team live as NewYork makes their run at the postseason by grabbing some Yankees tickets fromthe blog. We don’t charge any kind of hidden fees or shipping costs to makealready cheap tickets even cheaper for you the fan. CLICK ME.

Go Yankees!!

Make Sure Stephen Drew Doesn’t Touch a Bat Again This Season

Just a quick rant type post this Friday afternoon to get going, can the Yankees make sure that Stephen Drew never touches a bat again in a Yankee uniform? If so that would be great, thanks. Drew has added nothing, and I mean nothing, offensively to this team and has somehow found a way to be a downgrade over Brian Roberts on the offensive side of the ball. You have Martin Prado who can play more than adequately at second base defensively and seemingly his bat has come to life. Ichiro Suzuki hasn’t been Ichiro Suzuki with the bat lately but riding the pine may have gave him a second wind.

Even with Ichiro struggling and basically being a singles hitter at this point in his career he may still be a better option than Drew. At least Ichiro doesn’t consistently give away at bats and gets on base when he can. Drew… Drew is what Drew was when we acquired him unfortunately. Brian Cashman tried to ride a hot streak and catch lightning in a bottle and it didn’t work, it happens.

You don’t have to keep compounding the problem by throwing him back out there night after night, in the seventh spot no less. It really pisses me off to see a Francisco Cervelli or a Prado hitting behind Drew in the lineup. If you have this fascination with Drew like Joe Girardi seemingly has then at least bat him ninth and put the best lineup you can on the field.

It’s late, really late, and the team cannot afford to have the bat in Drew’s hand one more time this season or it’s over…

The New York Yankees Season Is Over

Hello friend, Mr. Optimism here with a change of scenery. The Yankees season is over, it’s done. I’ve already written my apology letter to Derek Jeter for sending him out on these terms and the Yankees continue to put the nails in their own coffin. New York struggles to beat teams like the Houston Astros, seriously? The team can’t score past the fifth inning, can’t manufacture a run, have tons of speed and don’t steal bases enough (death stare at Brett Gardner), and the team wastes great pitching performance after great pitching performance. Even if the team did make the playoffs by some miracle they aren’t getting past the ALDS, write it down.

The Yankees have 38 games left including this afternoon’s game and the schedule seemed favorable after the All Star Break. The Yankees played the majority of their games at home and played against AL East foes and struggling teams like the Astros, White Sox, Rangers, Red Sox, etc. The Yankees have not taken advantage of this soft schedule like playoff teams tend to do and have gone basically .500 the whole way. There is an old saying that my friend Patrick (little p patrick not Patrick) taught me and that’s that .500 teams don’t make up ground in the standings.

I don’t like to be all doom and gloom and I didn’t want to put a damper on your day but I had to get this out and off my chest. I’m saddened, I’m frustrated, and I can’t hold it in any longer. This team is going nowhere this season and that really breaks my heart. Maybe I have too much invested into this team I don’t know.

Let’s win one today and bring my hopes back up, shall we?

My Apology Letter to Derek Jeter

I unfortunately had to write one of these for both Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera last year and I feel compelled to do so once again for Derek Jeter. I’m sorry.

I’m sorry that George Steinbrenner passed away and left the team to his sons who know nothing about the game of baseball. I’m sorry that the Yankees flirted with the idea of cutting payroll and getting under the luxury tax that set us back a few seasons. I’m sorry you’re spending your final season on a mediocre team that spent right at $500 million this offseason and still is likely to fall under the 85 wins that the 2013 Yankees won.

This team does not have the heart, will, and determination that a lot of the teams you have been on and led and that is no fault of your own. You WANT to be out on the field every day where others take days off like they’re getting paid for them anyway. You WANT to win where others just simply expect to win not knowing that this is not enough by itself.

I’m sorry Jete and I will reiterate this when the Yankees are eliminated this season. Even if you can lead the charge into the postseason I cannot see this team running the table. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians. Do me one favor Jete, not that you owe me anything, make sure the door hits Kevin Long on the ass when you leave.

Sincerely,

Daniel Burch

P.S. I sure could use a gift basket. Go Yankees!

Six Man Rotation For September?

With the Yankees getting back both David Phelps and Masahiro Tanaka, barring any setbacks anyway, in September does New York have too much pitching to continue to throw out a five man rotation? Would a six man rotation work for the Yankees? In short, yes.

You want to give as much rest to Hiroki Kuroda as you can after two consecutive breakdowns at the end of the season due to fatigue. You want to give as much rest to Masahiro Tanaka as you can so you don't push that elbow and torn ulnar collateral ligament too far too fast. You don't want to toy with David Phelps like the Yankees did with Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain and move him from the rotation, to the bullpen and back again. At the same time you don't want to take starts away from your pitchers that are pitching effectively in Shane Greene, Brandon McCarthy, and Michael Pineda. While Pineda might not be hurt by throwing every sixth day instead of fifth with his recent run of injuries you still want that ball in his hand every fifth day.

The part of the team that is helped the most though by this idea is the bullpen. Presumably a pitcher with five days rest instead of four will be able to go longer into games and that pitcher should be fresher, more effective, and have more control and command than usual. More Pineda, Phelps, and Tanaka innings means less innings on Adam Warren and Dellin Betances which can only help.

Let's look at what the Yankees could do in September with the rotation. Just for fun let's assume everyone is back and ready on September 1. I know this isn't realistic but with no definitive dates for a Tanaka or Phelps return at this point it's the best I could do. In parenthesis next to the pitchers name I will put the numbers of days rest he will be pitching on. See below:

9/2: Boston Red Sox vs. Shane Greene (4)
9/3: Boston Red Sox vs. David Phelps (-)
9/4: Boston Red Sox vs.  Hiroki Kuroda (5)
9/5: Kansas City Royals vs. Michael Pineda (5)
9/6: Kansas City Royals vs. Brandon McCarthy (5)
9/7: Kansas City Royals vs. Masahiro Tanaka (-)
9/9: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Shane Greene (6)
9/10: Tampa Bay Rays vs. David Phelps (6)
9/11: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Hiroki Kuroda (6)
9/12: Michael Pineda (6) @ Baltimore Orioles Game 1
9/12: Brandon McCarthy (5) @ Baltimore Orioles Game 2
9/13: Masahiro Tanaka (5) @ Baltimore Orioles
9/14: Shane Greene (4) @ Baltimore Orioles
9/15: David Phelps (4) @ Tampa Bay Rays
9/16: Hiroki Kuroda (4) @ Tampa Bay Rays
9/17: Michael Pineda (4) @ Tampa Bay Rays
9/18: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Brandon McCarthy (5)
9/19: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Masahiro Tanaka (5)
9/20: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Shane Greene (5)
9/21: Toronto Blue Jays vs. David Phelps (5)
9/22: Baltimore Orioles vs. Hiroki Kuroda (5)
9/23: Baltimore Orioles vs. Michael Pineda (5)
9/24: Baltimore Orioles vs. Brandon McCarthy (5)
9/25: Baltimore Orioles vs. Masahiro Tanaka (5)
9/26: Shane Greene (5) @ Boston Red Sox
9/27: David Phelps (5) @ Boston Red Sox
9/28: Hiroki Kuroda (5) @ Boston Red Sox

Obviously you can play around a little with that last game of the season and still be in a great position if the Yankees are in the postseason hunt. You could start Michael Pineda on four days rest for the last game of the seasons and still have Brandon McCarthy available in a potential play in game. You would have Masahiro Tanaka either way for a potential Wild Card Game and a well rested Hiroki Kuroda for any potential ALDS. It looks good on paper but you have to get there first.

Yankees & The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Joe Torre, Rob Manfred, and Major League Baseball

Masahiro Tanaka

Derek Jeter 

Shawn Kelley

Aaron Judge, Danny Oh, Wes Wilson, and Trent Garrison from the Tampa Yankees

 

Alex Rodriguez

Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal

Bleeding Yankee Blue: AMBER SABATHIA ACCEPTS THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE! http://t.co/dgIukLQ3RC #BYB
— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) August 21, 2014

Of course check out Robert Casey's great site Bleeding Yankee Blu for the Amber Sabathia, Jorge Posada, and Laura Posada ice bucket challenges. Also two of their writers have done the challenge, seen HERE and HERE.

And here is a link to Mariano Rivera completing the challenge.... HERE

The Drum Beating For Robert Refsnyder Continues

Pardon me while I continue to beat the drum for Robert Refsnyder to be called up to the Bronx. I know you guys are probably getting tired of me ranting and raving about the same thing here but I will continue to beat the drum until Brian Cashman smartens up or gets let go at the end of the season.

The Yankees have a black hole offensively at second base in Stephen Drew and the biggest knock on Refsnyder is his defense at second. The Yankees will soon again have a black hole in right field after Carlos Beltran’s elbow started barking again when the team has Ichiro Suzuki back in right field every day likely for the rest of the season. Refsnyder was an outfielder in college and has played some outfield in Triple-A this season.

Refsnyder continues to get two or three hits a game down in Scranton and has improved his defense exponentially over the past couple of months. I say again, what in the hell are we waiting for here? Do we need an invitation? Please admit one Robert Refsnyder, nonrefundable. No excuses, do your jobs. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/22: Jeter Collects Hit #2,500

As we all know this is Derek Jeter's final season in Major League Baseball and with the New York Yankees and he will go down in not only the Yankees history books but the MLB record books as one of the all time greatest players in MLB history. On this day in 2008 Jeter notched one more mark in the Yankees history books as he joined Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth as only the third Yankee to ever collect their 2,500th hit. The historic hit of the bloop variety came off the Orioles pitcher Radhames Liz in a 9-4 Yankees victory. 

Also on this day in 1961 Roger Maris became the first player in Major League history to hit his 50th home run of the season in the month of August. The 26 year old outfielder would hit the home run off the Angels Ken McBride in a Yankees 4-3 loss.

Finally on this day in 1939 the New York Yankees would win their first night game in their franchises history as they beat the Chicago White Sox in front of more than 50,000 fans at Comiskey Park. The Yankees had nine extra base hits and 14 hits overall in the victory.

Yankees Plan to Put Phelps in Bullpen When He Returns

When David Phelps was in the Yankees' rotation this season, it goes without saying that he was one of the team's more reliable guys.

After coming into the always-changing group in late April, Phelps put together a solid 4.28 ERA and threw gems against the A's, Blue Jays, and Twins, although that somewhat-high ERA would probably have been a lot better had his four-game skid in May and June never happened.

Nonetheless, when the currently-injured right-hander comes back from his shoulder wound in the next week he'll be in New York's worn out bullpen instead, a fact team Manager Joe Girardi revealed to The Star Ledger's Brendan Kuty prior to today's win.

"It obviously won't happen over night," Girardi said. "But we'll try to get him ready for the bullpen."

In the Yanks' usually-reliable clan of relievers, interestingly, Phelps will take the duties of the ineffective Chase Whitley, who was sent down to Triple-A earlier this afternoon after being on the roster for four months. 

No, that plan doesn't necessarily sound exciting, but according to the aforementioned Kuty it will fortunetaly only be temporary, as Phelps will simply be using the role as a way to rebuild his arm strength.