Sunday, April 7, 2013

Game 6 Lineup: Yankees vs. Tigers

Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Francisco Cervelli C
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix SS

LHP CC Sabathia

33 comments:

  1. CC has not been dominating today and he's labored against some of the lesser hitters but he's shut down the big hitters and hasn't given up a run. Stuff isn't great (for him) but I'll take 7 shutout innings at Detroit any day of the week. Like Andy, CC is a guy you can rely on when you need length and to keep you in the game. Yanks have a lot of holes but if these 2 big lefties stay healthy, they will be competitive.

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  2. fishjam, that's what aces do, they keep you in the game when they don't have their best stuff. Wells and Youk have been a pleasant surprise, while Cano and Gardner been disappointing to this point.

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  3. What makes baseball a great game is the unpredictability of piching, Today, the two Cy Young winners from last year Dickey and Price got knocked around and Verlander got hit, that's the 3 best pitchers in baseball losing. Add to that Phil Coke gets hit hard.

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  4. I expect a good year from Youk and Wells is definitely in much better shape and condition than the last 2 years. he is on every Fastball thrown middle and in. It will be interesting to see if he continues to hit when the scouting reports eventually catch up to the fact that he's not the slow-bat slouch he was the last 2 years.

    To me the most pleasant surprise has been Cervelli. Its obvious that he improved defensively in the minors last year and he continues to get big hits.

    You are right about Gardner and Cano.....they both seem to be way off on their timing. I'll add Ichiro to that list. Joba and Logan have been brutal.

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  5. Cole Hamels gave up an 8 spot too today to raise his ERA to 10.97......killing my fantasy team.

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  6. Joba is a head case, he looked great in spring training until he started talking about being a starter again.

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  7. Not fror nothing but Cashman seems to have made the right moves getting Youk and Wells. If the team had no injuries they would be a tough out in the East. Losing Grandy, Tex, Jeter, and A-Rod have really hurt.

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  8. fishjam...
    Cisco has had the rep of a clutch hitter, even when he wasn't hitting very well, he knocked in runners!

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  9. doug, so far they have been doing the job:
    Youk--.409
    Hafner--.350
    Wells--.294
    Cisco--.308
    Not bad for those four, hay what?
    Now if Itchy and Brett can get their stuff together we will be on hold for the others to get back and help!

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  10. Definitely on Youkilis. He was by far the best option available at 3B and I expect a good year. He had one poor year that was plaqued by injuries but he's healthy, has something to prove and is a professional hitter. I love that he uses the whole field, hitting the ball hard wherever it's pitched.....so many hitters on the Yanks fall in love with pulling everything and are easily pitched to.

    I hated the Wells move when I first saw it because of the money involved but once they announced the money won't effect the Luxury Tax in 2014, I opened up to it. Then when I saw him in ST in much better condition and with a much quicker bat, he's definitely someone who can help. I don't expect a huge year but he's a thousand times better than Ben Francisco and Wells can definitely contribute. Once Granderson returns, he'll only have to be a part-time player and should be very productive in that role.

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  11. You're right OldYank and many people would dismiss it as luck or small sample size but he clearly has a knack in those situations.

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  12. you and me both!

    two crap starts this week. sonuva....

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  13. fishjam, I agree, and Wells could be the right handed DH.

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  14. Fish if Wells keeps this up he should be playing over Ichiro once Grandy gets back, although I doubt it happens

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  15. I mean I doubt that they would play him over Ichiro not that he won't keep this up, I think he will

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  16. Matthew B...
    I agree with you but, maybe for a different reason. Itchy...going by his history, has had over 200 hits every season, is still fast enough and a top grade fielder! Wells has him on power and for now, hitting and is a good outfielder. When the time comes, whom ever is hitting (taking into account the splits etc) should get the job...and that means anyone and everyone.
    This team needs to win and to heck with the feelings or ego of any player, no matter who it may be. Sorry to say, we have question marks with to many players to let them hit their way out of a slump.
    We have Itchy and Brett right now, although they have to play...no-one better around.
    The DL list will bring us some players that may be somewhat limited...shall we say...:
    Nunez or Jeter???....Nunez with Jeter back-up, for a while!
    Brett, Wells or Granderson??...I give up!
    Tex, no question!
    A-Rod or Youk?...Both, if hot, can carry the team...A-Rod more so, IF he is the A-Rod of 2009.
    Youk is a hitter, with some power...I think this one comes down to how well Youk is going when and if A-Rod shows up.

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  17. What about Jeter?

    As I have said before, I had a displaced fracture of my ankle about 6/7 years ago. Most of the hardware has been taken out but, the rod in my leg bone gives me a bit of trouble once in a while...it took me one and a half seasons to play sandlot ball again.
    So, there is good and bad news about Jeters injury...the good news: He is about 25 years younger than I was, his was a fracture not a displaced fracture!
    The Bad News: I played Sandlot ball, he is playing with the big guys...just a touch harder job I think!
    Jeters range will be next to nothing (compared to Nunez) he will have hitting troubles also because, the legs are his base/balance, everything starts there and finishes with the hands....bum legs, big troubles!

    Bottom line is; he is a singles hitter and can work around the leg thing, but his fielding is where he may suffer the most! As though I needed to tell you fans the obvious!

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  18. It's possible Matt. The yanks are paying them both about the same money over the next 2 years and Girardi has already had Ichiro batting 7th most of the time and even sat him for 2 games already. One of the games he sat was against a RHP too so if Wells keeps hitting, I wouldn't be surprised. Gardner may have to worry a bit also when Granderson gets back. Right now, Gardner's defense in CF is way too valuable but if Brett is still struggling at the plate when Granderson returns to CF, Wells may start to eat some of Brett's ABs in LF.

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  19. Yup, it will be interesting to see how limited Jeter is by the ankle once he gets the green light. They badly need his bat vs LHP and perhaps more importantly his everyday presence and leadership. The team is going through a very difficult stretch with the adversity caused by the predictions of doom and all of the injuries. You see the lift and the security when Andy and Mo are pitching but they aren't every day players.

    When he's ready to return he and Nunez are going to have to split time at SS and DH vs LHP. Hopefully, Nunez can use the next month or so that Jeter is out to establish himself as an important every day player who can handle being a MLB SS. he was off to a good start before he got hit.....hopefully he doesn't miss a beat. The Yanks need both Nunez and Jeter healthy and effective this year.

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  20. Sounds like a tale of two teams, there are many combinations, but one thing for sure is this team can only get better. It will be like making a trade in May, June, and July. Best case scenario they all come back to contribute to the team.

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  21. fishjam...
    doug, you and I (and good fans) have it right...to take a line from doug:
    " Best case scenario, they all come back to contribute to the team."
    I like that, as I am sure we all feel the same way, right?

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  22. Gardner thrown out again, he doesn't know how to get a good jump like the great base stealers. He only steals a base when he gets a bad throw or an off speed pitch most of the time. Great stealers like Henderson steal the base in that situation.

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  23. doug...
    Speed is always thought to be the main weapon of a base stealer, not true! It is true that the best base runners do have speed but, not always are they the fastest, they are the smartest base runners!
    Nunez is a better base runner because he makes good decisions and gets better jumps then Brett. Brett uses speed alone, whereas guys like Cisco, Wells, Jeter and A-Rod use their God-given talent to pick out the time to run. Remember Bernie Williams, the fastest guy on the team but, not a good base runner at all.
    Williams and Brett are a lot alike, both are athletes before they are baseball players.
    I still think, we need Brett and Nunez to do their thing, they along with Itchy can help win games by being there for the others to knock in!
    Brett seems to always get bad running numbers in the first few games of April, it always evens out and he ends up with better % as the year goes on!

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  24. Remember Ken, SPEED KILLS.(tm)

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  25. Did you get lost in the sunshine and 60% weather? Yes, Speed Kills...I found that out the hard way, in my last few years on my job!
    But talking speed in baseball, I don't know if you are old enough to remember back a year or two, when the KC Team built there park? Anyhow, it had fake turf (one of the first to do so) and the fences where about a mile away so, they built the team around speed and more speed. It was hard to win at their place.

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  26. I was going to say the same thing Ken. Brett has been known to be a streaky base stealer. One wouldn't think that base stealers would go into slumps but with Brett it is all mental. He has all of the God given talent as one of the fastest players in the game but he seems to have mental blocks at times and it often coincides when he's struggling at the plate. When he's not getting on base a lot, he feels like he has to force SBs and go whenever he has the chance instead of picking the right times and situations to go.

    Last season he was injured but in 2011 he started off with just 5 steals in his first 11 attempts and 14 of his first 24......absolutely terrible percentages. But then he swiped 22 in a row and 35 of 38 to finish the season.

    For his career he's 84.5% from June to October but just 75% in April/March.

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  27. I think that was the 70's Ken when KC had al cowens, frank white, Freddie Patek and Amos Otis. All speedsters.

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  28. Wasn't Willy Wilson part of that bunch?

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  29. Willie Wilson the Summit flash, Seaver tried to talk him into going to USC out of high school for football and baseball.

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  30. Oh yeah, ken, Wilson was huge speedster. Good memory .

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  31. Willie Wilson was an incredible athlete. Ballpark knows him as Willie and he worked together a few years ago at Ballpark's place.KC had a very good team in the late 70s/early 80s and were a major rival of the Yankees during that time.

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  32. KC was tough back then. A lot of speed and a couple of the eras best hitters to drive them in......George Brett and Hal McRae.

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  33. TWASP - The best speed team I remember in my childhood was Whitey Herzog's Cardinals. They won 101 games with just 87 Home Runs as a Team!

    They lost to KC in Game 7 of the WS but that was one interesting team that was built for the ballpark they played in. They took advantage of the hard turf field and deep dimensions and had great pitching, defense and speed.

    They stole over 300 bases with Ozzie Smith (31 SB), Willie McGee (56 SB), Vince Coleman (110 SB), Tommy Herr (31 SB) & Andy VanSlyke (34 SB) all stealing 30+. Jack Clark was the only power hitter with 22 HR. Tommy Herr drove in 110 Runs with just 8 HRs!

    They had so much speed they traded speedster Lonnie Smith to KC in May. He stole 52 bases that year and haunted STL by being the Royals best hitter in the World Series.

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)