Pettitte's record improves to 10-9 with 7-1 win over Blue Jays

Thanks to seven shutout innings from Andy Pettitte, and two home runs (a solo and a three-run shot) from Alfonso Soriano, the Yankees were able to easily beat the Blue Jays tonight at Rogers Centre, 7-1. Those seven innings from Pettitte earned him a well-deserved win, improving his overall record on the year to 10-9. In his career, Andy has never finished a season below .500, so this win could end up being very helpful to his reputation after he retires. 

The Yankees other three runs tonight came on a solo homer from A-Rod, a solo homer from Reynolds, and an RBI Single from Jeter, his first run batted in since returning from the DL yesterday. Overall, this game was a very well-played one. Let's hope the Bombers do this again tomorrow. 

Robinson Cano Leaves Game After Hit By Pitch

JA Happ strikes again! JA Happ hit Robinson Cano with a fastball in the hand in the first inning of the game with the Toronto Blue Jays. Cano initially stayed in the game to run the bases but that only lasted one pitch as Alfonso Soriano hit the first pitch he saw over the fence for a three run home run. Manager Joe Girardi and trainer Steve Donahue spent a ton of time evaluating Robbie before they decided to leave him in the game so I am hoping this is just precautionary but the way this season has gone I cannot say that with any confidence.

UPDATE: They are calling it a deep bone bruise/contusion. He is headed to the hospital because even with free health care in Canada and a team that was not shy about handing out millions of dollars they do not have an x ray machine in the ball park. Stay tuned.

UPDATE II: X Rays are negative and Cano is listed as day to day. With an off day tomorrow I see no reason Cano will not be in the lineup Friday night against Baltimore.

Game Thread: Yankees @ Blue Jays 8/27

The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays play their second game of this three game set at the Rogers Centre. The pitching match up is Andy Pettitte for the Yankees and JA Happ for the Blue Jays and it can be seen at 7:05 pm ET on the YES network and MLB TV. If the Yankees have any shot whatsoever of making the playoffs or coming back in the AL East they need to beat the living crap out of teams like the Blue Jays. To make the playoffs you have to beat the teams that your supposed to beat and this is one of those teams.

Here is the Yankees lineup

Brett Gardner CF
Derek Jeter SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Curtis Granderson RF
Vernon Wells DH
Mark Reynolds 1B
Chris Stewart C

Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes. Go Yankees!

Joe Girardi Probably Back With Yankees In 2014

It is, according to Jon Heyman, a "foregone conclusion" that manager Joe Girardi will resign with the Yankees after his contract runs out this season. Joe has signed two consecutive three year deals and another three year deal is expected after what is arguably his best managing season as a Yankees skipper including his World Series run. Hal Steinbrenner, general manager Brian Cashman, and the players all seem to love and respect Joe and I have found a new found respect for him after the way he stepped up for Alex Rodriguez in Boston with the whole Ryan Dempster situation.

Despite all the injuries and all the players not meeting expectations, *cough Phil Hughes cough*, Joe still has the Yankees in the discussion for the playoffs and one of the two wild card spots. That is an amazing feat in itself when you consider guys like Derek Jeter have played less than 10 games this season and the Yankees are still fighting for a wild card spot in almost September. He has handled the Alex Rodriguez circus a lot better than most people would have and has managed to put together another masterful bullpen like he has ever since he took over the job six long years ago.

The only way Joe is not the manager of the Yankees next season is if it is his decision. The Yankees, the organization, and players seem to want him and I expect Joe to be back with the Yankees by November.

Three Yankees Prospects Headed To Arizona Fall League

The New York Yankees are sending three of their player to the Arizona Fall League and they are Tyler Austin, Mason Williams, and Peter O'Brien. These three positional players will represent the Yankees on the Scottsdale Scorpions and the Yanks will also send four pitchers but they have yet to be announced as of the time of this writing.

Williams and Austin are both having down seasons for the Trenton Thunder, and formerly the Charleston Riverdogs for Mason, and are both in need of the extra at bats this year in the AFL. If the Yankees have any hopes of developing one of their many upside outfielders into a major league impact player one of these two are going to have to rebound in a big way in 2014. Peter O'Brien is a catcher and third basemen and has split time between the Tampa Yankees and the Charleston Riverdogs this season and has really put himself on the map as a third basemen after Gary Sanchez sort of forced him out from behind the dish. The AFL is presumably giving O'Brien more time to learn the hot corner so I agree with this selection.

If you are a fan of the minor leagues at all these AFL games just became a much watch with these three guys attending and representing the Yankees.

New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 8/27

The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays continue their second game of a three game set this week at the Rogers Centre. The Yankees will send Andy Pettitte to the mound to face off with JA Happ for the Blue Jays. Curtis Granderson should probably be on the bench for this game, I'm just saying. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on the YES network and MLB TV.

Ronnier Mustelier International League Player Of Week

Ronnier Mustelier of the AAA Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders has been named the International League Player of the Week for the week ending August 25th. In six games Musty put up a .556 batting average and has extended his hitting streak to 13 games. During his hitting streak Musty has hit an incredible .458 with six doubles, five runs batted in, and has played good defense at the hot corner. Not sure if this will translate into a September call up with a healthy Alex Rodriguez, Mark Reynolds, Lyle Overbay, and probably one too many outfielders on the roster already but you never know.

Best Ground Ball Pitchers In 2014 Free Agent Class

MLB Trade Rumors posted earlier in the week their list of the free agent pitchers with the highest ground ball rates in 2013. I will paraphrase here but please go over to MLBTR by clicking HERE to read the post over there because they do it best over there.

Starting Pitchers

1. AJ Burnett -- 56.3%
2. Tim Hudson -- 55.8%
3. Roberto Hernandez -- 52.9%
4. Joe Saunders -- 49.9%
5. Scott Feldman -- 49.4%
6. Edinson Volquez -- 48.2%
7. Hiroki Kuroda -- 48.0%
8. Ervin Santana -- 47.7%
9. Jorge De La Rosa -- 47.4%
10. Andy Pettitte -- 46.4%

Relief Pitchers

1. Chad Qualls -- 66.0%
2. Matt Albers -- 62.8%
3. JP Howell -- 57.4%
4. Matt Lindstrom (2014 club option) -- 54.7%
5. Jamey Wright -- 52.7%
6. Matt Belisle (2014 club option) -- 51.4%
7. LaTroy Hawkins -- 49.7%
8. Fernando Rodney -- 49.6%
9. Darren Oliver -- 48.7%
10. Jason Frasor -- 48.5%

The Astros Are More Profitable Than The Yankees

The Houston Astros, according to Forbes, are more profitable than the New York Yankees or any team in the major leagues for that matter, and it's not even close.

The Houston Astros are probably the worst team in the major leagues this season and have been for a while now but are somehow the most profitable team in the majors as well. The highest paid player for the Astros is Erik Bedard as he is only making $1,150,000 with the rest of the team making somewhere around the league minimum right under $500,000 with no one else making over a million. With all that said the Astros are on pace to bring in $99,000,000 this season which is nearly as much as the last six teams to win the World Series... combined.

Let that sink in once you consider that the Astros are paying their players a combined salary somewhere in the neighborhood of $21,000,000 after owner Jim Crane gutted the team once again slashing salary by $56,000,000 from last season. $99,000,000 in profit is a huge amount for a rebuilding team when you consider that Crane could have purchased the entire National League starting lineup for somewhere around $84,000,000. Granted Crane owes over $275,000,000 from purchasing the team plus interest but with 64 players currently making more than the entire Astros team it really has to say something about the kind of business Crane is running.

In Crane's defense he has said that once the farm system is rebuilt he will put a product on the field with a top five or top ten payroll but that remains to be seen, see the Miami Marlins. Reports like this scare me when you think how much Hal Steinbrenner wants to make a dollar with this team and reports like this prove you can lose and make more money than you can competing every season, playoffs and World Series or not.

Game 132 Lineup: Yankees @ Blue Jays

Here is your starting lineup for Game 2 of the 3 game set with the Blue Jays!

Brett Gardner CF
Derek Jeter SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Curtis Granderson RF
Vernon Wells DH
Mark Reynolds 1B
Chris Stewart C

Andy Pettitte LHP

The Hardest Throwing 2014 Pitching Free Agents

MLBTR posted earlier in the week their list of the hardest throwing pitchers in this years free agency class and a few Yankees made the list. I thought it would make for an interesting share so I will sort of paraphrase it here but CLICK HERE to see the original post because no one does it quite like MLBTR.

Starting Pitchers

1. Josh Johnson & Matt Garza -- 92.8 mph

2. Jason Hammel -- 92.7 mph

3. Jon Lester (2014 club option) -- 92.6 mph 

4. Phil Hughes, Ervin Santana, & AJ Burnett -- 92.4 mph

5. Edinson Volquez & Scott Kazmir -- 92.3 mph

6. Mike Pelfrey -- 92.2 mph

7. James Shields (2014 club option) -- 92.1 mph

8. Roberto Hernandez -- 91.6 mph

9. Ubaldo Jimenez & Roy Oswalt -- 91.5 mph

10. Hiroki Kuroda -- 91.3 mph

Relief Pitchers

1. Fernando Rodney -- 96.3 mph

2. Matt Lindstrom (2014 club option) -- 95.0 mph

3. Joba Chamberlain -- 94.8 mph

4. Jesse Crain -- 94.5 mph

5. Matt Thornton -- 94.2 mph

6. Joaquin Benoit & Chad Qualls -- 94.0 mph

7. Boone Logan -- 93.6

8. Grant Balfour, Jose Veras (2014 club option) & Matt Albers -- 93.4 mph

9. Carlos Marmol & Manny Parra -- 93.3 mph

10. Mark Lowe -- 92.9 mph

 

Yankees road struggles continue in 5-2 loss to Blue Jays

Phil Hughes gave up 5 runs (3 earned) over 4.2 innings of work last night as he and the Yankees continued their recent struggles on the road, falling to the Blue Jays 5-2. I guess you can't always beat the Jays, but for a while I thought the Bombers could do it. 

The Yankees only two runs in this one came on an RBI Groundout by Cano in the first and a solo home run from A-Rod in the fifth. They still lost, but it's just one game. They'll probably get over it in no time. They're just playing Toronto. 

A Present For All Mets Fans

This is for all the Mets fans that made fun of us all season long, regardless of what the standings said, because of our struggles and our injuries. Karma is real and it sucks, too soon bro? Sorry I have to keep this short it is hard to type with all these bandwagon fans jumping off around me.

Late Push by Thunder Bats not Enough, Lose 5-3

Late Push by Thunder Bats not Enough, Lose 5-3

Thunder pull within one run in 8th inning

TRENTON, NJ - The Trenton Thunder did not record their first hit of the ballgame until the 6th inning, at which point the New Britain Rock Cats had already jumped out to a 4-0 lead in their 5-3 win over the Thunder Monday night.

Trevor May tossed four perfect innings before allowing a walk to Kyle Roller to begin the 5th inning. He hadn't allowed a hit in the ballgame with one out in the 6th inning but Mason Williams and Ramon Flores notched back-to-back singles. Two batters later, Kyle Roller was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but Carmen Angelini flew out to centerfield as the tying run in a 4-0 game.

May finished the night with six innings of shutout, two-run baseball while striking out nine Thunder batters. In the last seven days, May has gone 2-0 with just 4 hits allowed and two runs in 12.0 innings with 13 strikeouts against the Thunder.

Trenton scored three times in the 8th inning off Dan Turpen to draw back to within a run, 4-3. With the bases empty and two outs, Flores and Jose Pirela walked consecutively. Roller then delivered an RBI single and Angelini followed with a two-run double. New Britain made a pitching change so lefty Ryan O'Rourke would face the lefty Ben Gamel with the tying run on second base, and he struck out Gamel looking to end the threat.

The Rock Cats scored a run off Francisco Rondon in the top of the 9th to double their lead to 5-3.

With the loss and a win by the Portland Sea Dogs over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Trenton's lead in the East Division Wild Card remains 3.0 games over the Fisher Cats but is now only 4.0 over the Sea Dogs with 8 games remaining in the regular season. New Britain lingers 6.5 games behind the Thunder.

Trenton and the New Britain Rock Cats battle at ARM & HAMMER Park in Game 2 of this four-game series Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. Trenton sends LHP Nik Turley (9-8, 4.12) to the mound against RHP Cole De Vries (0-2, 1.69) for the Rock Cats. Limited tickets available at www.trentonthunder.com/tickets or by calling (609)394-3300. Radio coverage on 91.3 FM (WTSR) and streaming online begins at 6:45 p.m.

Being posted with permission from the Trenton Thunder organization. The original article can be seen HERE. 

Rosario, Bichette Jr. Slug Charleston Past Greenville

Rosario, Bichette Jr. Slug Charleston Past Greenville

RiverDogs smash three homers, win third straight

GREENVILLE, SC - Jose Rosario blasted two homers and Dante Bichette, Jr. also went deep as the Charleston RiverDogs powered their way past the Greenville Drive 9-6 on Monday night in the series opener at Fluor Field at The West End. Charleston has now won three consecutive games.

With the win, the RiverDogs improve to 33-31 in the second half and 72-60 overall. The Drive fall to 26-35 in second half play and 48-81 overall with the loss.

In the top of the first inning, Jake Cave doubled and later scored on a passed ball to put Charleston up 1-0 early.

Greenville tied the game at 1-1 on three hits and a hit by pitch in the bottom of the first inning, but stranded the bases loaded to keep it tied.

In the bottom of the second the Drive got right back at it and added another run, this time on a hit, a wild pitch, and a couple errors to take a 2-1 lead. Once again Greenville stranded two men in scoring position though and couldn't add more damage.

Greg Bird doubled to begin the fourth inning for the Dogs and later scored on a double play ball to tie the contest at 2-2.

In the fifth is where the Charleston bats really came alive.

With two outs and runners at the corners, Jose Rosario worked a 10 pitch at-bat and cranked his second homer of the year over the left field wall. The three run blast gave the visiting team a 5-2 lead.

Greenville scored twice on three hits in the bottom of the fifth to cut it to 5-4.

Dante Bichette, Jr. quickly extended the RiverDogs' lead back to three runs with a towering two-run, opposite field homer in the top of the sixth. The tenth of the year for Bichette, Jr. made it 7-4 Dogs.

Daniel Aldrich knocked in another run later in the frame for Charleston to make it 8-4 in the middle of the sixth.

The Drive cut it to 8-6 with a couple runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Rosario's second homer of the night, a solo shot, put Charleston up 9-6 for good.

Rosario finished the game 3-4 with two homers, four RBI, and two runs scored.

John Brebbia spun two scoreless innings to close it out for the RiverDogs and collect his first save of the season.

Starter Daniel Camarena came up one out shy of factoring in the decision after he tossed 4.2 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts.

Righty Kelvin Castro threw 2.1 innings, struck out three, and allowed two runs on three hits. He earned the win to go to 1-0.

Justin Haley started for Greenville and earned the loss. He gave up five runs on six hits and fanned four. His record now stands at 7-10.

Reliever Gerardo Olivares also got roughed up by the RiverDogs to the tune of four runs, five hits, and two homers in two innings of work.

COMING UP: Game two of this three game series is Tuesday night at 7:05. Charleston will send out LHP Eric Wooten (1-1, 1.74 ERA) and Greenville will start with RHP Francisco Taveras (2-4, 6.61 ERA). Fans can listen to the game live locally on ESPN Radio 910AM or online at www.riverdogs.com.

Box Score: http://atmilb.com/18X4GtM

Being posted with permission from the Charleston Riverdogs organization. The original article can be seen HERE. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 8/27

On this day in 1938 Yankees slugger Joe DiMaggio hit three consecutive triples in an 8-7 Yankees victory over the Cleveland Indians in the first game of a double header.

Also on this day in 1938 Yankees pitcher Monte Pearson becomes the first pitcher to throw a no hitter in Yankees Stadium in a 13-0 victory over the Indians. Pearson walked two batters but only faced the minimum 27 batters thanks to two double plays.