Yanks Win Walkfest, Avoid Sweep In 7-3 Comeback Win

On another beautiful day in Baltimore, the Yankees avoided the sweep by the Baltimore Orioles in route to their second victory of the season. C.C. Sabathia took the ball for New York this afternoon in attempts of stopping their recent three-game losing streak. Sabathia has had success against these Orioles, going 19–10 in his career against Baltimore but was 1–3 against them a season ago. Taking the mound for the Orioles today was left-hander Wade Miley; who has really struggled since joining the O's at last year's trade deadline, going 2-5 with a 6.17 ERA over that stretch. Today's game really depicted how walks can really hurt you as a pitcher, which was a story told on both sides all day long.

Free passes were handed out like All-Star voting ballots by both starters throughout the first couple of innings. Wade Miley walked FOUR batters during his first trip through the lineup, including walking the bases loaded in the top of the second. But, Miley got an impatient Ronald Torreyes to strike out to end the bases-loaded threat and the inning. Sabathia, on the other hand, did not fare so well. The lefty walked Mark Trumbo to begin the second, advancing to third on a soft opposite-field single by Chris Davis. The next batter rookie Trey Mancini hit a ground ball to first base where Chris Carter recorded the out at second, allowing Trumbo to score to put the Orioles up 1-0. Sabathia then issued another walk, this time to Jonathan Schoop, which moved Mancini up to second base. And that walk came back to bite C.C. as he served up a single to J.J. Hardy that scored Mancini to open the O's lead up to two.

The Orioles kept the offensive pressure on, adding to their lead in the bottom of the fifth. Adam Jones started the inning by lining a single off of Sabathia's leg, advancing to second on a passed ball during Manny Machado's at bat. Trumbo then stepped up to the plate and drove Jones in with a sharp single to left, extending their lead to 3-0.

Although he walked seven batters during his start, Miley was unscored upon and was lifted to begin the top of the sixth; and that's where the Yankees finally started to get their bats going. Right-handed youngster Tyler Wilson took over for Miley and immediately got two quick outs to begin the frame. Aaron Judge started the rally with a two-out base hit to left, advancing to second when the next batter Austin Romine singled to center. The New York Yankees' RBI leader Ronald Torreyes stepped up and came through in a massive way; smoking a triple into the right-center field gap, plating both runners to shrink their deficit to just one. Unfortunately, Brett Gardner left that tying run stranded on third base by striking out to end the sixth.

Sabathia did something today that no other Yankee starter has been able to achieve so far in 2017: make it through six innings. And if C.C. would have been able to field the comebacker cleanly and throw Jones out at first, Torreyes' triple would have been good enough to tie the game. But, it didn't play out that way and he left with a final line of six innings pitched, allowing three runs on six hits while walking four and striking out three.

The Bombers completed their comeback by tying the game in the top of the eighth. All-Star right-hander Michael Givins came on in relief of Wilson and coughed up a majestic solo blast to Aaron Judge that cleared the wall in left to pull the Yankees even at three apiece. And I got to tell you, it was so nice to see the tables turned completely and watch the Yankees come back and spoil the Orioles lead for a welcomed change.

As previously stated, the "Walkfest" continued and was a major contributing factor as to the Yankees taking a late-inning lead for the first time in this series. Darren O'Day came on to pitch the ninth and started the frame by walking Matt Holliday for his career-high fifth walk of the game. Jacoby Ellsbury came on to pinch run for Holliday and had an immediate impact by swiping second on the second pitch of Chris Carter's at bat. Carter was also walked and subsequently was pinch ran for by Pete Kozma. Starlin Castro then ripped a single up the middle that scored Ellsbury to put the Pinstripers up by one. Chase Headley also walked, loading the bases with Kozma at third and Castro at second. Aaron Judge grounded out to first base which scored Kozma to make it a two run game. And when Romine followed with a sacrifice fly to score Castro, the throw got away to also allow Headley to score to make it a 7-3 ballgame. Even though it wasn't a save situation, Aroldis Chapman came on to shut the door in the ninth and secure the Yankees' second victory of the young season.

The Bombers travel home for the first time in 2017 tonight to get ready for tomorrow's much-anticipated home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. With it being Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, the game is scheduled to begin at a special Monday start time of 1:05 PM/EST.

Game of Moans...

Credit:  Patrick McDermott, USA TODAY Sports

I am not sure what’s worse.  Losing yet another game that we should have won to the Baltimore Orioles or losing perhaps the Team’s MVP, Gary Sanchez, to a biceps strain.  Most likely, it’s the latter.  Even though Sanchez is on the 10-day DL, he’ll need more time to recover considering this is his throwing arm.  After the team’s struggles out of the gate, the timing for the injury could not have been worse.

The Yankees called up Kyle Higashioka to replace Sanchez and back up interim starter Austin Romine.  This is a tough loss considering that the Yankees are already playing with a utility player at short.  

Where is the offense going to come from for a team that can’t make its pitches?  Hopefully this question answers itself very quickly.

The Yankees should have won yesterday’s game.  But again, they let Manny Machado and Company take the game.  This time the hero was Hyun Soo Kim with a single in the bottom of the 7th to drive in Mark Trumbo with the go-ahead and eventual winning run.

With a LOOGY and the thought that you ‘have just one job’, lefty Tommy Layne failed by allowing a double to Chris Davis, the only batter he faced.  The Yankees then brought in Dellin Betances.  I didn’t feel good about the situation (Betances and base runners are never a good thing).  He promptly gave up a single to Mark Trumbo to score Davis, tying the game.  He would subsequently allow the game-winning hit by Kim.

If the Yankees team goal is to prevent the Boston Red Sox from winning the AL East, five games into the new season, they’re winning by allowing the Orioles to remain undefeated.  

CC Sabathia takes the mound today.  As the owner of the only quality start so far this season, Sabathia will now take the added role of the hopeful stopper as a victory is sorely needed.  

The Yankees were also missing Greg Bird yesterday after his foot swelled during Friday night’s loss.  Bird had fouled a pitch off his foot during a March 30th exhibition game and hasn’t fully recovered from it yet.  He’ll miss today’s game too.  Chris Carter didn’t exactly instill confidence as the first base replacement (he was 0-for-5, with 2 strikeouts, leaving 5 men on base).  

Orioles manager Buck Showalter must be loving this.  He’s the bully who keeps taking candy from a baby with these consecutive losses that should have been wins.  You know that he must get more satisfaction out of beating the Yankees than any other AL East team.  

Even though the Yankees are 1-4, they can turn this around quickly with a win today and subsequently taking their first series of the year when the Tampa Bay Rays come to New York on Monday.  But they’ll need timely hits and some quality pitches.  

Saturday’s game represented a milestone for Matt Holliday as he collected his 2,000th career hit (a first inning single off Baltimore’s Kevin Gausman).  Considering that he had 1,995 hits coming into the season, there were only 5 Yankee hits mixed in but he did do it as Yankee (even if he has not yet stepped on Yankee Stadium turf wearing pinstripes).  He is the 7th active Major Leaguer to reach the milestone and the 20th player to collect his 2,000th hit while playing for the Yankees.  

Yesterday was a day for losses as it was announced that former Yankees part-time left fielder/pinch hitter Bob Cerv had passed away on Thursday at age 91.  Cerv’s greatest year came in 1958 with the Kansas City A’s when he hit 38 home runs and drove in 104 runs.  By 1961, he was back in New York and shared a Queens apartment that year with the M&M Boys, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, during their historic home run battle.  Rest in peace.  God, it's your Cerv...  

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/9: Joe Torre Re-Signs w/ Yankees

On this day in 2004 the New York Yankees and manager Joe Torre agreed on a new three year deal, a three year pact that would be his last in Yankees pinstripes. The deal also included an additional six year deal in which the 62 year old manager would become a team adviser through the 2013 season.


Also on this day in 1965 the Houston Astros opened the first domed stadium when they hosted the New York Yankees at the Astrodome. During the opening ceremonies 24 astronauts threw 24 ceremonial first pitches in the "Eight Wonder of the World" as the Colt .45's became the Astros.



Finally on this day in 1963 Yogi Berra made an appearance on the television soap opera General Hospital as Dr. Lawrence Berra, a brain surgeon. Yogi did this as a favor to former Indians infielder Johnny Berardino, now known as Johnny Beradino who played Dr. Steve Hardy on the soap.

Insult to Injury: Sanchez Gets Hurt, Bullpen Blows Lead. Yanks Drop Third Straight, 5-4

On a sun-drenched Saturday afternoon in the Ballpark at Camden Yards, the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles squared off in game two of the three-game weekend set. Both of today's starters, Masahiro Tanaka and Kevin Gausman, were looking to rebound from subpar 2017 debuts. But for the second straight game, neither starter was able to work into the sixth and it became another battle of the bullpens. And for the second straight game, New York's bullpen played the role of choke artist.

Although there were no runs to speak of in the first inning, there was a bit of history to report. Matt Holliday collected the 2000th hit of his career by lining a single into right field in the top of the first. According to YES Network color commentator Ken Singleton, Holliday became just the 279th player of the 19,000 player history of Major League Baseball to reach the milestone. Congrats Matt.

After a scoreless opening frame, the Yankees were first to hit the scoreboards in the top of the second. Chase Headley started the rally with a one-out walk, advancing to third when the next better Aaron Hicks drilled a double into left-center field. The number nine hitter Ronald Torreyes then came through with a ground ball single to right field that scored both runners to put the Bombers up 2-0. Impressively, the RBI were Torreyes' fourth and fifth in just five games, which actually leads the team now. Not too shabby for a guy who's supposed to be the defensive specialist who's taking over for the injured Didi Gregorius.

Baltimore waited a few innings but was able to get one of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth. Manny Machado started the frame off with a walk, advancing to second on a rare Orioles steel of second. After retiring Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo, Tanaka served up a humpback liner to Wellington Castillo for a single, scoring Machado from second to make it a 2-1 contest.

Yankee fans held their collective breath in the top of the fifth when Gary Sanchez had to be taken out of the game. During a lengthy leadoff at bat, Sanchez stepped out of the batter's box to take a practice swing and bellowed over in pain while clutching his right arm. Manager Joe Girardi immediately came out of the dugout with an interpreter to talk to Sanchez, only to find out that his star catcher needed to be taken to the clubhouse with what was later reported as a right biceps strain. Austin Romine took over for Sanchez and completed the at-bat by earning a leadoff walk, advancing to third base on a Jacoby Ellsbury single to right. And then in the "not something you see every day" department, Gausman balked a pickoff throw to third that allowed Romine to score and moved Ellsbury to second. And Ellsbury being on second proved costly as Starlin Castro smacked a single into left field, plating Ellsbury and extending New York's lead to three. It was nice to see the Yankees finally add some insurance runs, but you hate to see it come at the expense your best player.

It didn't take long for the O's to respond as they got both of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth. Seth Smith started the inning with a single to right, advancing to second when Adam Jones was hit by a pitch. Manny Machado then smoked a double to right field that scored Smith and moved Jones to third, 4-2. After Chris Davis walked to load the bases with still no outs, Mark Trumbo grounded into what looked like a double play but was later overturned as an RBI fielders choice, leaving runners on first and third with one out. Tanaka then walked Wellington Castillo to reload the bases, only to strike out Hyun-Soo Kim and then got Jonathan Schoop to pop out to end the inning and the threat. Having thrown 36 pitches in just the fifth, Tanaka's day was done; leaving after throwing five innings, allowing three runs on six hits with a rare four walks, two hit-batsmen and five strikeouts.

Although Adam Warren worked a perfect 1.1 innings, a combination of Tommy Layne and Dellin Betances allowed the Orioles to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Layne served up a double to Chris Davis and was taken out for Betances. Dellin immediately gave up a single to Trumbo that scored Davis to tie the game at five. The next batter Hyun-Soo Kim lined a single into right field that drove in Trumbo and gave the Orioles their first lead of the night at 6-5. For the second straight night, I had to do everything in my power not to throw my remote through the television.

Having converted 51 consecutive save opportunities, the Yankees had no chance of making any offenseive noise against Zach Britton in the ninth, dropping their third consecutive game.

After spending the off-season in such excited anticipation, the first week of the season has been an absolute letdown and doesn't appear to be getting better anytime soon.

The Yankees will look to avoid the weekend sweep tomorrow afternoon, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:35 PM/EST.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 4/8

Ladies and gentleman it is finally game time as the New York Yankees have made the trip back to Oriole Park and Camden Yards to take on the Baltimore Orioles in the second of a three game weekend set. In this middle game of the three game series the New York Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound, Happy Tanaka Day everybody, to square off against Kevin Gausman for the Baltimore Orioles. The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, Fox Sports One and MLB TV. You can also follow along on the radio locally on WFAN.

Follow us on Twitter by giving @GreedyStripes a follow as we root for the Yankees together all season long. Go Yankees!

Yankees Prospects & The Beginning of the 2017 MiLB Season

The 2017 regular season for Major League Baseball has begun which means in the coming weeks the 2017 minor league seasons will begin as well. I wanted to take the time today to fill you in on where the Yankees top prospects will be beginning their 2017 seasons so you can keep up with them all season long. By the way I fully intend on bringing back the “Weekly Check In” posts so you can check in with them there as well but this is a good post to have bookmarked as well in my opinion. Enjoy and have a great Saturday everyone.

(1)    Gleyber Torres (SS) – Double-A Trenton Thunder

(2)    Clint Frazier (OF) – Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders

(3)    Blake Rutherford (OF) – Low-A Charleston Riverdogs

(4)    Aaron Judge (OF) – New York Yankees starting right fielder

(5)    Jorge Mateo (SS/2B) – High-A Tampa Yankees

(6)    James Kaprielian (RHP) – High-A Tampa Yankees (disabled list)

(7)    Justus Sheffield (LHP) – Double-A Trenton Thunder

(8)    Chance Adams (RHP) – Double-A Trenton Thunder

(9)    Dustin Fowler (OF) – Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders

(10) Miguel Andujar (3B) – Double-Trenton Thunder

(11) Albert Abreu (RHP) – Low-A Charleston Riverdogs

(12) Tyler Wade (INF) – Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders

(13) Jordan Montgomery (LHP) – Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders

(14) Domingo Acevedo (RHP) – High-A Tampa Yankees

(15) Dillon Tate (RHP) – Extended Spring Training

This Yankees team is going to be scary here in a year or three, isn’t it? Not too long ago the biggest knock on the club and specifically their farm system was that all their good prospects were so far away from the Major Leagues and that there were no blue chip prospects in the system. Not anymore.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 4/8

Happy Tanaka Day ladies and gentleman! The New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles continue their three-game weekend set this weekend at Oriole Park and Camden Yards with the second game of the series this afternoon in Baltimore. As I alluded to earlier the New York Yankees will send their ace Masahiro Tanaka to the mound looking to bounce back from a bad start in Tampa in the season opener while the Baltimore Orioles will counter with a perennial thorn in the Yankees side in Kevin Gausman. This should be another fun one so let’s look at the pitching matchups.

Tanaka made his first start of the season Opening Day against the Tampa Bay Rays and the start did not exactly go as planned for the righty. Tanaka gave up seven earned runs in the loss which is a career high for the Yankees ace in a 7-3 loss to Tampa. Tanaka has made five career starts against the Orioles posting a 1-1 record with a 2.39 ERA.

Gausman is slowly and quietly becoming a Yankee-killer for Buck Showalter and the Orioles as he has given the Yankees offense absolute fits over the past couple of seasons. Gausman last started on Opening Day against the Toronto Blue Jays where he held their offense to two runs on five hits with four walks in a no decision.

The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on the YES Network, Fox Sports One and MLB TV. The game can also be heard on your radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN. Enjoy the game and Go Yankees!! Beat those birds. 

My Thoughts on Masahiro Tanaka, Opt-Out Clauses and Conflicting Reports

Holy conflicting reports Batman. At the beginning of the day yesterday I read that if Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka opted out of his contract after the 2017 season that the New York Yankees would not pursue him only to read a complete 180 by the time I went to bed. One news publication has it that the Yankees won’t pursue and another, albeit by citing Randy Levine of all people as their source, says the Yankees haven’t made that decision and never said they wouldn’t pursue the Japanese-born right-hander. So which is it? Here are my thoughts on the matter.

Tanaka signed a huge deal worth $155 million when he came to the United States from Japan that included the opt-out clause after the 2017 season as a safety net for Tanaka. No one knew if Tanaka would like playing in New York or if he would rather play on the West Coast like many Japanese-born players do since it is closer to their homes in Japan so the Yankees gave him the opt-out clause that likely sealed the deal for his decision to come here. In Tanaka’s first season after signing the monster deal the righty suffered a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow that would normally require a season-ending and potentially career threatening Tommy John surgery. The Yankees, under the advice of many doctors and specialists including Dr. James Andrews, decided a rest and rehab program would be the best route to handle it and the team and Tanaka did just that despite varying degrees of criticism.

To date, and I am knocking on wood as I type this, Tanaka’s elbow has been fine and the diagnosis from the doctors looks to be a good one but as we all know pitchers are fragile in nature. Any pitcher at any time could suffer a torn UCL and require Tommy John surgery without any signs or warnings, see the very durable Bronson Arroyo as a prime example of this, so it makes sense that the Yankees may be weary and decide to let his “ticking time bomb” of an elbow be someone else’s problem if he opts out but I still don’t buy it.

After the season Michael Pineda is already coming off the books and so is CC Sabathia so losing Tanaka as well would leave the Yankees with exactly zero reliable starting pitchers for the 2018 season. Zero. James Kaprielian cannot be relied upon as he is already battling a second round of elbow concerns this season after missing most of last season with the same injury, Luis Severino has been inconsistent as a starter at best as has Chad Green and Luis Cessa, and as much as I love them as a fan Jordan Montgomery, Bryan Mitchell and Chance Adams have yet to prove themselves at the Major League level just yet. Granted they haven’t been given a huge shot, or no shot at all in the cases of Montgomery and Adams, but they wouldn’t give even me the warm and fuzzy feeling if all three of them started out next season in the Yankees starting rotation. I’m sorry but it’s the truth.

The free agent market looks barren at best for starting pitchers next season, especially considering that the Yankees plan on getting under the luxury tax threshold after this season, and the trade market requires prospects that the Yankees and Brian Cashman just don’t seem willing to part with at this time. It’s a bit of a Catch 22. Do you save money by using your farm system at the Major League level only to get under the cap and blow everyone out of the water for the likes of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado or do you trade those prospects for proven, and more expensive, pieces like Jose Quintana and continue to rebuild while also trying to win? Honestly I’m glad I’m not the one making those decisions because I don’t truly know what I would do.

I have been on board with trading for Quintana all winter long and I won’t back away from that for obvious reasons. He’s been great, he is still young and his contract is extremely cheap for what you would get back from the lefty. The Yankees need to do it now though because he will only get more expensive, prospects wise, as the year goes on. If they are truly worried about Tanaka opting out then they need to pounce on Plan B now, to improve the team and to show Tanaka that they are serious about moving on if he decides to opt-out and hold the opt-out over the teams head for more money.

Ultimately I think I would bring Tanaka back because not every pitcher and player is made for New York but Tanaka has shown that he is. You can’t really put a number on that in my opinion. Sure there are concerns with his elbow but using history as an indicator of the future you could conceivably say that about any and all pitchers that the Yankees throw out there on a day-to-day basis. Some pitchers have never required Tommy John surgery after partial tears of their UCL like Tanaka (Felix Hernandez and Ervin Santana) while some pitched for what seems like forever (Adam Wainwright) before the problem popped up again so who really knows? The human body is an amazing, and yet very unpredictable, thing. It truly is.

Week One has been Anti-Fun…

The hope for the Yankees to get off to a great start are dissipating.  I know, it’s still early with just four games played, but winning only one out of four is not great, especially to lose one that should have been a win like last night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.  

The game started very good as the Yankees raced to a 5-1 lead, thanks to home runs from Gary Sanchez and Matt Holliday.  But momentum turned when Manny Machado connected on a three-run shot off Luis Severino in the 5th to bring the O’s within one, 5-4.  It set the stage for outfielder Seth Smith to deliver the eventual game winning two run home run in the 7th off Tyler Clippard.

The game seemed to a microcosm of the season so far.  A few good performances (homers by Sanchez and Holliday, and Brett Gardner’s 3-for-5) surrounded by an overall ineffective offensive effort.  Marginal pitching susceptible to the random home run.  Poor fielding setting up the winning play (Chase Headley’s ill-timed throwing error that started the sequence leading to Smith’s game-winning HR).  Poor base-running to shut down potential big innings (like when Gary Sanchez was thrown out at second in the top of the 7th inning).  

It’s way too early to push the panic button with 157 games to be played.  But we’ll need more than Greg Bird’s .063 batting average to be successful.  Counting the next two games in Baltimore, the Yankees face AL East opponents eleven more times this month.  This includes a trip to Boston later this month for a three-game set.  The Yankees will also play the perennial playoff contending St Louis Cardinals next weekend at Yankee Stadium.  In other words, the April schedule is not forgiving.  It’s important for the Yankees to get on a roll for overall good performances, consistent from day to day.  This could easily swing in the wrong direction, sending the team on a downward spiral and mental funk.  

This is really the test of a good manager.  Now is the time for Joe Girardi to get inside the heads of his players and help challenge and motivate them to be their best.  If the team gets on a roll with a few consecutive wins, the mood changes and everybody’s talking about how exciting the young Baby Bombers are.  The time is now to start giving closer Aroldis Chapman a few save opportunities.

This has been the week of false news reports.  First, we had the reports that top prospect Clint Frazier asked the Yankees if they would un-retire Mickey Mantle’s #7.  It was quickly shot down as the Yankees said it didn’t happen and Frazier said that he’s only concerned about what’s on  the front of the jersey, not the back.  But something happened for the story to be written.  We may never know the genesis of it but there had to be a reason someone wrote about it, even if it was just a case of words being taken out of context.  I personally do not believe Frazier made that request but the player does bring his share of controversy (The Case of the Flaming Long Red Hair).  Next, it was reported that the Yankees would not attempt to re-sign Masahiro Tanaka if he decides to opt out of his contract at season's end.  While that does sound like something President Randy Levine would say after a few beers, I really do not believe that’s the Yankees official position on the subject.  The Yankees denied the reports, and Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner said no discussions have yet been held.  To the Yankees’ defense, if Tanaka does opt out, his next contract will extend primarily past his age-30 seasons (he turns 29 this November).  He is player that will need eventual Tommy John surgery so even if he is the ace, there must be discussions about the team’s strategy if Tanaka opts out.  

Sounds largely to me that writers are trying to find things to write about.  I get it.  Everyone’s trying to find the major story for sensationalism.  Rummaging through a few smoking cinders is likely to uncover a fire if you dig long enough.

This has not been a great week in the Yankees Universe.  Aside from the team’s struggling performance in Week 1, top pitching prospect James Kaprielian has been moved to the Minor League Disabled List and underwent a MRI (which included dye-contract in his elbow).  He is off to Los Angeles to consult with noted Tommy John surgeon Neal S. ElAttrache, M.D.  Dr. ElAttrache is the team physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Rams.  He is also on the Board of Directors for the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic, which was co-founded by Frank Jobe, the pioneer in Tommy John surgery.  This doesn’t sound good for Kaprielian and if he needs TJ surgery, it’s very likely that we will not see him again in any significant role until 2019 at the earliest.

I had been very optimistic about Kaprielian and had hoped that he would have a very successful 2017 minor league season to set him up as a potential rotation candidate next Spring.  Now, there is doubt whether he’ll ever be able to make the major leagues.  I hope that Kaprielian receives the best possible news from Dr ElAttrache and if surgery is the path, I wish him well on his long road to recovery.  I remain hopeful that we’ll one day see Kaprielian step out on the Yankees Stadium turf wearing pinstripes.

Masahiro Tanaka takes the mound today for the Yankees.  We could use some good news.  Here’s hoping that Week Two is much, much happier and more successful.

Have a great Saturday!

Quick Hit: Miguel Sulbaran Suspended Under Drug Prevention Program

Photo courtesy of Robert Pimpsner and Pinstriped Prospects

The New York Yankees saw one of their own suspended this week as left-handed starting pitcher Miguel Sulbaran was suspended for 25 games under the league’s minor league drug prevention and treatment program. If the name Sulabran sounds familiar it is because he was the pitching prospect that the Yankees got from the Minnesota Twins when they traded utility infielder Eduardo Nunez there a few seasons back.

Sulbaran was slated to begin the season in Double-A this season with the Trenton Thunder after going 3-5 with a 4.77 ERA there last year in 14 starts. Sulbaran also pitched for Triple-A Scranton last season as well pitching five scoreless innings for the RailRiders before heading back down to Trenton.

Here’s the MLB.com press release in its entirety:

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that five Minor League players have been suspended following their violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

San Francisco Giants Minor League right-handed pitcher Jose Dominguez has received a 142-game suspension without pay after testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, his second positive test for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the program.  The suspension of Dominguez, who is currently on the roster of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League, is effective immediately.

New York Yankees Minor League left-handed pitcher Miguel Sulbaran has received a 25-game suspension without pay following a violation of the program.  The suspension of Sulbaran, who is currently on the roster of the Double-A Trenton Thunder of the Eastern League, is effective immediately.

The following three players, all of whom are on their respective Club's rookie-level Dominican Summer League roster, have each received suspensions for performance-enhancing substance violations, effective at the start of the 2017 DSL season:

Seattle Mariners Minor League right-handed pitcher Frank Encarnacion has received a 72-game suspension without pay after testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.

Detroit Tigers Minor League right-handed pitcher Jose Ramirez has received a 72-game suspension without pay after testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.

Mariners Minor League right-handed pitcher Andy Taveras has received a 72-game suspension without pay after testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.