Saturday, May 31, 2014

Making the case to get John Ryan Murphy more playing time

I don't know about you, but it's becoming quite apparent that Mark Teixeira is having a huge problem playing nearly every day. I also do not love the idea of Kelly Johnson playing first base, seeing as how he isn't that good a fielder at his primary position.

I know it's only happened once, but why not start McCann at first base more often? He could still work with the pitching staff, and give John Ryan Murphy ample playing time to develop. McCann wasn't tested too much in his only start at first base, but he didn't look like he could be much worse than Kelly Johnson over there.

Until the Yankees get an actual first baseman developed through the minors (I'm looking at you Greg Bird), I'd suggest just doing this for the next few years. Doesn't cost extra money, develop the young kid behind the dish, etc.

This could be a blessing in disguise for the future with Tex being out this little bit of time, you never know. Heck, maybe McCann turns into a solid first baseman over the next few years. You'd have to think they were thinking about that when they signed him to a 5 year deal.

Mark Teixeira & Michael Pineda Suffer Setbacks


Mark Teixeira was lifted from today's win over the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning due to some wrist soreness. Teix got a cortisone shot during the game and will sit at least tomorrow and Monday before trying to get back into the game. The more Teixeira sits and has issues with the wrist the more likely it looks that Kendrys Morales will be making his pinstripes debut soon.

Michael Pineda has been shut down for a while with inflammation after receiving an MRI today. This is disheartening news for a team that needs a serious shot in the arm, no pun intended. Pineda will not start tomorrow and will not go for a minor league rehab assignment next week as planned. Pineda felt sore after playing catch yesterday and will be shut down.

Tanaka's Strong 8 Innings, McCann's Late Double lead Yankees to Low-Scoring Win over Twins

Say what you want about the early offensive struggles, but today's game was a win. 

It wasn't pretty by any means, as the Yankees did leave a total of nine men on base, but in the end, the effort they put up was good enough, as it helped them beat the Twins 3-1.

Yes, they did fail to score despite loading the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first, and yes, they did kill a sixth inning rally with bad base running.

But let's be honest, that was ok today.

When you have Masahiro Tanaka pitching, you can get away with a lot of stuff, just ask Alfonso Soriano and Mark Teixeira, whose pair of bad defensive plays put men on second and third with nobody out in the third.

Tanaka could've just surrendered a couple of sac flies, but instead went right after the heart of the Twins' lineup, striking out two and inducing a line-out to get out of the jam uninjured.

That Houdini impression kept the Yankees within one, a deficit that would be wiped out in the bottom of the fourth, when Yangervis Solarte took Kevin Correia (6 IP, ER) deep to right to tie the game. 

Tanaka, who ended up throwing 8 frames of 4-hit, no-earned run ball on the afternoon, still wasn't in line for the win, but that didn't stop him from dominating, as the rookie retired the last eight hitters he faced to the keep the Yanks tied heading into the bottom of the eighth. 

In that AB, the Bombers had to score in order to give #19 the W, something they did twice thanks to an RBI Double from Brian McCann and a post-rain delay single from Kelly Johnson.

After a three-strikeout ninth from David Robertson, the game was over, and just like that, all the frustration of the day was, too.

The Pinstripes didn't play well, but at least they and their starter ended up getting the win. I guess that makes everything else that happened irrelevant. 

Robinson Cano Is Still Talking...


Robinson Cano is a Seattle Mariner and is still talking about his time with the New York Yankees. I think I speak for everyone when I say get over it, get over yourself, and earn your $240 million by hitting more home runs than your replacement who has almost triple your home runs for $500K.

Anyway, Fox Sports1 has a show called "Back of the Shop" where players sit in a Barber Shop and talk sports, life, etc. Snoop Dogg was there, so was Felix Hernandez, the Cowboys Dez Bryant, the Giants Jason Pierre Paul, and the aforementioned Cano were all on the upcoming episode and like the title says, Cano is still talking. I won't even paraphrase, here is the exact quote from Cano:

“I don’t want to say names, but I’ve played with guys that have been like, you know what, I don’t want to play today. They come in and I don’t feel good or I don’t want to come in. You need to have respect for your teammates. If you don’t want to play, just go home.”

There is 162 games in a season and the Yankees are an old team so it's not really all that surprising that some guys would want a day off. I say I don't want to go to work about every single day, even on pay day. Get over it Cano and get over yourself. You're not bigger than the game, you're not bigger than the Yankees, and you're not even that big anymore. Hit a home run in Seattle then come talk to me in New York.

See you in October. No I wont.

Mark Teixeira Exits Game w/ Wrist Soreness

UPDATE:

Mark Teixeira had wrist soreness and was lifted from the game. I guess it was too sore to hit and not that bad in the field? Who has Kendrys Morales' number?

Mark Teixeira was in the field for the Top of the 6th inning at first base for the Yankees and was set to lead off the bottom of the 6th, but he didn't. Teixeira was lifted for pinch hitter Brian Roberts in the bottom of the inning. No word on if the wrist was acting up, if Teix was tired, or whatever so stay tuned for the latest updates on this situation.

Game Thread: Yankees vs. Twins 5/31


The New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins will finish out the month of May this afternoon at Yankee Stadium in the second of a three game set in the Bronx this weekend. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound on Tanaka Day to face off with Kevin Correia for the Twins. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with WFAN.

Get your Yankees tickets for this series and all Yankees games RIGHT HERE on the blog. With Ticket Monster you can get your tickets not only cheaper than anywhere else but with no fees, no shipping, and quick shipping. Give @GreedyStripes a follow on Twitter to chat during the game.

Enjoy the game Yankees family and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Contract The Minnesota Twins... Meme


#ContractTheTwins

Preview: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins 5/31


The New York Yankees will host the Minnesota Twins this afternoon at Yankee Stadium for the second game of their three game weekend set. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound, Happy Tanaka Day, to face off with Kevin Correia for the Twins. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network, MLB TV, and it can be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Tanaka bounced back well after his first loss in the major leagues last time out with one run allowed in 6.2 innings pitched to improve his record to 7-1. Tanaka threw a season high 118 pitches but got an extra days rest with the Yankees off day Thursday and will take that fresh arm to take on the Minnesota Twins for the first time in his career this afternoon.

Correia gave up four runs and seven hits while striking out five batters in seven innings on Memorial Day against the Texas Rangers last time out. This is just the third time in his last ten starts that he has gone at least seven innings in a start. The Yankees will either bomb him early and get into the Twins bullpen quick or get dominated, there will be no in between.

Go Yankees!!

Can't Predict Baseball: Ted Williams & Carl Yastrzemski Link


On this day in 1961 the Red Sox pinch hit Carroll Hardy for Carl Yastrzemski. Hardy would bunt for a single in the eight inning of a 7-6 loss to the New York Yankees. The importance of the pinch hitter was that Hardy became the only player to pinch hit for both Yastrzemski and Ted Williams in their careers.

On this day in 1975 Cesar Tovar, for the fifth time in his career, got his team's lone hit in a game in which he broke up the Yankees Catfish Hunter's no hitter bid. Tovar singled in the sixth inning of the Texas Rangers 6-0 loss to the New York Yankees. The Rangers designated hitter also got the only Ranger hit in 1967 against the Senators Barry Moore, the only hit in 1968 against the Orioles Mike Cuellar, and in 1970 against the Senators Dick Bosman.


Quick Hit: Bacon Wrapped Bird Dog In Charleston



RiverDogs to Serve Up Bacon Wrapped Bird Dog On Sunday 
Charlie T. RiverDog To Serve As The Celebrity Chef For The Game 

CHARLESTON, SC – The Celebrity Smokin’ Chef promotion that the Charleston RiverDogs have held
every Sunday home game so far this season continues this weekend. The ballclub has announced that
their lovable mascot Charlie T. RiverDog will be featured as the celebrity chef for Sunday, June 1, and he
will be preparing a delicious Bacon Wrapped Bird Dog for fans to enjoy. Charlie T. RiverDog will be at
the game and stop by the RiverDogs' new smoker several times throughout the afternoon to promote the
specific dish, ensure it is being served appropriately, and visit with fans.

The Bird Dog is a bacon-wrapped chicken thigh that is smoked low and slow for 2 hours and topped with
a Carolina Mustard BBQ sauce. It will be served in a hot dog bun. Chef Charlie T. RiverDog will be
serving up the tasty treat to fans for the RiverDogs game against the Asheville Tourists which is
scheduled to begin at 5:05 pm at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on Sunday.

The Bacon Wrapped Bird Dog will be available to all fans for the reasonable price of $7 each.
In addition, the RiverDogs will donate a portion of the proceeds from the smoked item to the Lowcountry
Food Bank.

"This promotion was very well received during our first three Sunday home games this season, and we’re
excited to have Charlie showing off his surp

Jeter on Inconsistent Offense: We Have to Keep Swinging

Over their last few series, it's no secret that the Yankees' offense has been inconsistent. 

Against the Cubs, their bats scored just one run in innings 1-8, before nearly getting shutout twice by the White Sox.

In St. Louis, things pretty much stayed the same, with the Bombers putting up 6, 0, and 7 runs in the three games of the set before going back down to just one in last night's opener against the Twins.

Despite those back-and-forth results, team Captain Derek Jeter is still confident the team can get back on track, as long as they continue to try.

"I think you just keep swinging," Jeter told The Journal News after yesterday's 6-1 loss. "That's pretty much all you can do. It's a situation I think most teams go through throughout the course of the year. Hopefully we can start swinging the bats a little bit better and scoring some runs. It's obviously a lot easier on the pitching staff if we score."

That last sentence is probably the most crucial of that entire quote, as the Pinstripes' backup pitchers of Vidal Nuno, David Phelps, and Chase Whitley (not as much) have definitely struggled lately. They obviously won't be in the rotation forever, but still, giving them some more support right now definitely wouldn't hurt.

This Day In New York Yankees History 5/31


On this day in 1938 Yankees first basemen Lou Gehrig played in his 2000th consecutive game and collected an RBI single. The Yankees would beat the Red Sox 12-5 on this day.


On this day in 2001 the Boston Red Sox finally beat the New York Yankees for the first time since Pedro Martinez laughed off the Curse of the Bambino. On this day yesterday in 2000 Martinez, who was 7-1 with a 1.44 ERA, said that someone should "Wake up the Bambino and let me face him, I'll drill him in the $@#." After the comment the Red Sox lost seven consecutive games against the Yankees.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Three Home Runs Hurt Nuno, Yankees in 6-1 Loss to Twins

After taking two of three from the Cardinals earlier this week, the Yankees looked invincible.

The Bombers, who came into tonight's game against the Twins 4-1 over the last five days, had gotten the injured Mark Teixeira back in their lineup, to go along with a weak opposing starter in Ricky Nolasco.

Still, nothing went their way in the contest, causing them to fall in overall non-competitive fashion, 6-1.

For Yanks Pitcher Vidal Nuno, the game started out well, but with one out in the top of the second things began to fall apart.

At that time, Oswaldo Arcia homered on an 0-2 pitch, giving the Twins an early 1-0 lead.

It wouldn't last long, as Jacoby Ellsbury would tie the game in the bottom of the third with an RBI Double, but from then on it was all Minnesota.

To lead off the fourth, Josh Willingham homered to left-center, immediately followed by a bloop single from Arcia and another, two-run shot to Monument Park from Trevor Plouffe, quickly making it 4-1.

That would be all the Twins would get off Nuno on the night, although it was more than enough, knocking #57 out after 6.2 frames to drop his record to 1-2.

At that point, the game was over, although the Twins weren't quite done scoring yet, knocking in another two late off Preston Claiborne thanks to a duo of RBI Singles from former Yankee Eduardo Nunez and new Catcher Kurt Suzuki. 

Nunez, who was traded from the Bombers to Minnesota back in April, hit eighth and DH'd in this one, unsurprisingly not getting any cheers or jeers when he stepped up to the plate for the first time. Overall, Jeter's former replacement went 1-for-4 in the W, bringing his 2014 batting average down to a low .256.

Yankees Kelley, Teixeira, & Beltran Injuries Updates


The New York Yankees may be a bad version of the Walking Wounded right now but some key players are healing nicely.

Mark Teixeira took three games off, four consecutive days off, and feels good enough to play tonight in Yankees Stadium against the Twins. Teix will bat cleanup and will play first base.

Shawn Kelley threw off a mound for the first time since being shut down with a lingering back injury. Kelley reported no pain afterwards which is a great sign.

Beltran took 50 more swings today, 25 from each side of the plate, and was ecstatic with his progress.

Game Thread: Yankees vs. Twins 5/30


The New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins will start a three game set tonight in the first of a weekend series at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will send Vidal Nuno to the mound to face off with Ricky Nolasco for the Twins. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with WFAN.

It's not too late to get your Yankees Tickets for the game tonight or this weekend, or any game really home or away, so CLICK HERE to get your tickets with free shipping, no fees, and same day shipping if you cannot pick them up. Be sure to also give @GreedyStripes a follow on twitter to chat with me during the game. I try and chat during every single game, as long as my kids let me anyway, and really enjoying chatting with you guys so give me a mention.

Enjoy the game Yankees family and enjoy the rest of your night and your weekend.

  Get Great Tickets at Ticket Monster!

Slade Heathcott Placed on Double-A Disabled List


The Trenton Thunder, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, announced multiple roster moves prior to Friday's ballgame against the Portland Sea Dogs.

OF Slade Heathcott has been placed on the Disabled List (lower body soreness) retroactive to May 28th. Heathcott has appeared in nine games with the Thunder since making his season debut May 15th and is hitting .182 (6-for-33) with two doubles and four runs scored.

The lefty last appeared in a game for the Thunder on May 27th against the Reading Fightin Phils when he went 1-for-4.
LHP Aaron Dott, who was placed on the Temporarily Inactive List May 18th, has been transferred back to the active roster. In addition, OF Yeral Sanchez rejoins the team from the Staten Island roster and is scheduled to start Friday's game in right field.
With the moves, Trenton’s roster is at 24 players-- one short of the Eastern League maximum of 25 active players.

I've Got Til 5! - Walk-Up Music

As you can tell from our off-day music recommendations, we here at The Greedy Pinstripes are big music fans. I'm sure you've seen Daniel post about player's walk-up music here before. Well, I decided to take a closer look at all of them and pick out some of my favorites.

I will admit that there were quite a few that I did not know. Which is pretty unsettling, but I guess that's what happens when you get old.

Brett, who the hell is Brantley Gilbert?


5. David Robertson - "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

I'm not a southern rock fan. It's not that I find it un-listenable, but it's that country twang twist that I don't like. Not to mention that Lynyrd Skynyrd's heavy use of the confederate flag bugs me as well. But I'm not going to ignore the fact that "Sweet Home Alabama" is a great song, and for a boy from Birmingham this song couldn't be more perfect.


4. Kelly Johnson - "Bulls On Parade" by Rage Against The Machine

While I've read that Kelly also uses "Tonight Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae and "What I Got" by Sublime, it's his choice of Rage Against The Machine's hit song that puts him on this list. RATM's self-titled debut album is great, thanks to songs like "Bombtrack", "Killing In The Name", and one of my favorite songs of all time "Know Your Enemy. While "Bulls On Parade" would not place among my favorite songs from Rage, I don't know if that's the fault of the song or the way radio and MTV overplayed it. Either way, I applaud Mr. Johnson's song choice.

Oh... and "Bulls on Parade" appears on the album "Evil Empire". So there's another reason it makes for a great walk-up song for a Yankee.


3. Mark Teixeira - "It's Tricky" by Run DMC

I'm far from a huge rap fan, but who doesn't love the song "It's Tricky"? It has a fun beat, and the flow of the rhymes are great. Although that shouldn't be surprising as the song comes from Run DMC, who were not only rap icons but general music icons too. I also have to mention that the video for "It's Tricky" features the hilarious comedy duo of Penn and Teller. Didn't they look great in rap attire? LOL!



2. Jacoby Ellsbury - "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf

For some reason Jacoby has used the song "Ni**As In Paris". I don't know what the song really means, but on the surface it doesn't make any sense (check out his skin color and ethnicity for reasons why). Thankfully the song "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf is also on Ellsbury's playlist. Like rap, I'm not the biggest hip-hop fan, but I really like this song. The fact that Rudolf started writing songs young, is an acclaimed producer, and a heck of a guitar player is another reason why I don't lump Kevin in with other hip hop "artists". If it wasn't for the fact that Lil Wayne bugs me "Let It Rock" may very well top this list.


1. Carlos Beltran - "Welcome To The Jungle" by Guns N Roses

It's really sad what has come of Guns N Roses. From the biggest rock band in the World to basically non-existent seven years later (I don't consider anything after The Spaghetti Incident to be the true Guns). When Appetite For Destruction came out in the summer of 1987 I, along with millions of others, went crazy. From beginning to end this album was incredible. The song "Anything Goes" is probably my least favorite on Appetite, but that's not because the song stinks. However, it's the first song on the record that we're talking about here. In 2009 VH1 named "Welcome To The Jungle" the greatest hard rock song of all time. And why not? An absolutely killer guitar riff, hard hitting lyrics, Axl Rose's awesome rock voice and range... this song has everything a rock fan could ever want.


I was thinking of making this an all-time list, but I couldn't find enough information about walk-up music to make it worthwhile. But let's hear your thoughts and share your favorites from not just 2014 but forever.

Preview: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins 5/30


The New York Yankees are going home to host the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium this weekend in a three game set. The Yankees will send Vidal Nuno to the mound to face off with Ricky Nolasco for the Twins. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Nuno lasted seven innings in his last start allowing just three runs in a no decision against the Chicago White Sox. The outing was Nuno's longest of the season in both length with the seven innings and with his 101 pitches thrown and both were desperately needed by New York. Nuno has never faced a single player on the Minnesota Twins roster so this should be interesting.

Nolasco struggled in his last start against the San Francisco Giants allowing seven runs, nine hits, and one walked batter in just 4.2 innings. Nolasco was highly sought after this offseason and is sporting a 5.58 ERA in May after posting a 6.67 ERA in April.

We're a little early today so we can give the 5:00 slot to my friend Bryan Van Dusen and his "I've Got Til Five" series that I enjoy so much. Today he talks Yankees walk up music and the new rule made by Major League Baseball pertaining to walk up music so if I have your interest check back in about 30 minutes for that.

Go Yankees!!

Girardi Not Concerned About Solarte's Recent Slump

If you've watched any Yankees games lately, you know that Yangervis Solarte has struggled mightily. 

The 26 year old rookie, the team's starting third basemen this year despite the fact that he's only making the league minimum of $500,000, has just 7 hits in his last 49 at bats, something that has caused his batting average to drop from an amazing .336 to a still solid .285. 

To some, that fall in production is a sign that reality has finally hit the youngster, although Manager Joe Girardi doesn't think so, arguing that everybody has slumps.

"(Scuffling's) part of the game," Girardi told the Newark Star Ledger's Brendan Kuty after the Yankees beat the Cardinals Wednesday night. "To me a lot of the times the best players really go through either hot streaks or cold streaks. It's just really part of the game. If he didn't go through them, he'd probably hit .400 or .500 all the time. So, you know that they're going to go through them."

In tonight's Yankees/Twins opener, Right-hander Ricky Nolasco, a hurler opponents have hit .322 off of this year, will start for Minnesota, possibly giving Solarte a much-needed opportunity to turn things around. 

Can't Predict Baseball: Babe Ruth Calls It A Career


On this day in 1934 the Yankees Ben Chapman broke up Earl Whitehill's no hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. This is significant because in the 1933 season Chapman, albeit provoked, hit Whitehill with a punch in the passageway causing a 20 minute brawl that needed the police to restore order. I guess he broke something up twice, huh?

On this day in 1935 Babe Ruth, a member of the Boston Braves, plays in his last major league game of his career. Ruth, at Baker Bowl, does not get in a hit in his first inning at bat against the Phillies. On June 2 of that year the former Yankee All Star and super star would call it a career officially.


Quick Hit: "Wake Up The Babe So I Can Drill Him"


Remember way back on this day in 2001 when the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry was possibly at it's highest and Pedro Martinez spoke up about the Curse of the Bambino? If you don't it was after Martinez ended a streak of five straight losses against New York and was making light of the curse. Martinez states that he wished someone would wake up Babe Ruth so he could drill him with a pitch.

Long story short the Red Sox would not beat the Yankees again during the final seven meetings of the 2001 season. But there was no curse, the Red Sox just sucked for 86 years... right.


Trenton Thunder Game Recap 5/29

Early Offense Sparks 12-2 Win over Fightins

READING, PA - In his Double-A debut, Eric Wooten allowed two runs (1 ER) over seven innings, and Trenton's offense struck early for a 12-2 win over the Reading Fightin Phils.
Following Manny Banuelos' start of 2.0 innings with no hits, no runs and one walk, Wooten entered out of the bullpen for the first time. Wooten, a free agent signed by the New York Yankees in the middle of the 2013 season, had made 10 appearances (nine starts) for the Tampa Yankees before being transferred to the Thunder roster Thursday morning. The lefty from Central Arizona Collegeallowed eight hits, three walks and a pair of hit-by-pitches in his outing which began after the Thunder had already jumped out to a 6-0 lead.
Before an Education Day crowd of 6,026 at FirstEnergy Stadium the Thunder offense sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning off starting pitcher Perci Garner. Garner, who allowed six runs (5 ER) in 2.1 IP, needed 41 pitches to get through the first inning which included four runs on three walks and two hits. The first four Thunder batters of the game reached off Garner and Trenton had a 1-0 lead before an out was recorded.
The Thunder scored 12 runs on 13 hits and eight walks which matched the season-high eight walks they drew Wednesday night. Four Thunder batters had multi-hit games (Ben Gamel, Rob Refsnyder, Peter O'Brien and Taylor Dugas) which included a perfect 4-for-4 day from Gamel with a walk.
The Thunder return home for a four-game series in three days against the Portland Sea Dogs. Friday's ballgame is a 7:05 first pitch with a 6:50 p.m. pre-game show that can be found on 91.3 FM and www.trentonthunder.com. Saturday is a split double-header with ballgames starting at 2:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. and then the finale of the series Sunday.

Being posted with permission from the Trenton Thunder, the original post can be seen HERE

This Day In New York Yankees History 5/30


On this day in 1932 the New York Yankees honored former manager Miller Huggins in a pre-game ceremony. The former Yankees manager died near the end of last season and had received a plaque in his memory. The Yankees would sweep both games in the double header with the Boston Red Sox.


On this day in 1938 the Yankees set a new record for attendance at Yankee Stadium drawing 81,841 fans in a double header with the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees would win both games sweeping the Red Sox in the double bill.


On this day in 1956 Mickey Mantle came within 18 inches of becoming the first player to hit a home run out of Yankee Stadium. The blast came off the Washington Senators Pedro Ramos and the ball was still climbing when it hit the facade in the upper right field stands.


On this day in 1992 the Yankees Scott Sanderson beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-1 to become the ninth pitcher to defeat all 26 teams in the major leagues at the time. Sanderson joins Nolan Ryan, Tommy John, Don Sutton, Mike Torrez, Rick Wise, Gaylord Perry, Doyle Alexander, and Goose Gossage with the feat.


On this day in 2007 in Toronto  a Jorge Posada pop out falls in between Howie Clark and John McDonald allowing Alex Rodriguez to score on the play. A Rod yelled that he got it while running by and tricked both the Blue Jays infielders in a "Bush League" move.


Thursday, May 29, 2014

Thoughts on the 1/3 part of the season

This part of the season has gone about as good as you can ask for when you consider the rash of injuries the Yankees have suffered. That being said, I believe the team is way better off this year than last year.

There are a couple reasons for that:
Sure, the team lost Cano and has an ever revolving door manning second base. But you don't have Vernon Wells, Jayson Nix, Lyle Overbay, and Chris Stewart starting nearly everyday. You more or less replaced their production with Jacoby Ellsbury, Yangervis Solarte, Mark Teixeira, and Brian McCann. The offense, while it has been stagnant recently, is bound to wake up any week now. I highly doubt Brian McCann will continue to smack balls right at people. Those will eventually find holes.

Those points being said, one thing I have noticed which has gotten progressively worse: the infield defense. This defense would not surprise me at all (barring an upgrade via trade) to be the worst infield defense the Yankees have fielded out in the Derek Jeter era from an errors and UZR+ standpoint. You don't even need the metrics to show you how truly bad the defense has been. Everything from Solarte rushing throws, to Kelly Johnson's inexperience at first base, to everybody else at some point missing routine plays, it's been laughable. When you go from Jayson Nix, Lyle Overbay, and Cano to these guys, sure you gain offense, but you lose a ton of defense. Say what you will about Cano and however bitter you guys may be towards the guy, but he was an absolute stud on defense. You can't replace him with Brian Roberts and expect anywhere the same results.

The biggest surprise regarding this team in my eyes is how good the pitching has been. Especially the bullpen, if you had told me before the season started that the Yankees would've had 2 pitchers at this point striking out near 15 K/9 at this point in the season I'd have to seriously wonder what you were saying. Dellin Betances has been absolutely dynamite out in the pen. I believe he has closer stuff, and that Girardi could possibly move Robertson back to 8th inning role as his "other closer" if you will. I refer to those guys as bullpen aces, but different story. Either way, him, Robertson, and Adam Warren have performed absolutely incredible thus far. Same could be said some other guys like David Phelps and Matt Thornton.

All in all, this has been a pretty dang good start considering what has happened. It's even better when you look up and all you see are the Blue Jays in front of the Bombers, and I am not ready to call them a contender yet. You'd have to think that the Red Sox and Orioles will figure their collective mess out and start doing better, and that all 5 teams will improve their teams at the deadline. One could say the Yankees have been unlucky just like last year, but from my perspective I think they're extremely lucky no one is running away with the division.


Mark Teixeira & Carlos Beltran Injury Updates


The Yankees are off today so you have to expect a plethora of injury updates, today being no exception.

The Yankees sent Mark Teixeira to Dr. Keith Raskin, the doctor who performed Mark's wrist surgery, and the diagnosis was as expected. Teix is fighting some inflammation in the wrist and is listed as day to day.

Carlos Beltran took 25 swings again from each side of the plate, 50 swings in all, and received soft toss from Kevin Long. Beltran did not report any pain or discomfort and will hit again tomorrow.

Good news on both fronts for the Yankees.

Yankees Injury Updates: Teixeira Day-To-Day, Beltran Improving

Without the power-hitting duo of Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran, the Yankees' offense is likely to struggle.

The other seven men in their starting lineup, while not terrible by any means, have averaged just a .259 BA, so it's obvious to anyone watching that having a couple of 30+ home run guys in there would help out a lot.

Today, one of those two made a lot of progress in his rehab, while the other just sort of stayed neutral. 

First, the good news, as Beltran took 25 pain-free swings from each side of the plate in his continued attempt to avoid eventual elbow surgury.

As of now, he's still not exactly close to coming back, but if he's able to do the same thing tomorrow then maybe, just maybe, it'll be time to get excited. 

Now to Teixeira, the guy who didn't have such promising results.

No, Tex isn't hurt bad, but yes, the wrist inflammation that kept him out of this week's St. Louis series has been confirmed by a doctor. It won't keep him out this weekend, but still, don't be surprised if the slowly-improving Kelly Johnson ends up playing a game or two instead, something that would probably weaken the offense.

Pauly Shore's "In The Army Now" Off Day Full Movie



It's 2:00 and I've got that 2:00 feeling so it's time for an off day full length movie right here on The Greedy Pinstripes. Just click on the video above to watch the movie "In The Army Now' with Pauly Shore. Does it have anything to do with baseball? Nope, and it shouldn't matter. You should be working anyway, enjoy!

Can't Predict Baseball: Unassisted Triple Play


On this day in 2000 the Oakland Athletics second baseman, and former Yankee, Randy Velarde completed the tenth unassisted triple play in Major League history. The New York Yankees had runners on first and second when Shane Spencer hits a line drive to Velarde who catches the ball, tags out Jorge Posada, and then tagged Tino Martinez to complete the triple play. No, CC Sabathia was not on the mound for the play.


Yankees Walk Up Music: Brian McCann


We have been looking at the New York Yankees walk up music all season long on off days, and today is an off day, so we will continue that today with Brian McCann. McCann's song of choice when walking up to the plate to hit into the shift is DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win."

All I do is win, win, win, no matter what. Maybe he needs to make the remix and call it "All I Do Is Hit" and maybe Brian McCann can get out of this season long slump he is in.

Quick Hit: Derek Jeter's Top 4 Favorite Movies


Derek Jeter, just in case you have been living under a rock so far this season, is going to retire at the end of the 2014 season and will likely have a lot of time on his hands. Jeter has said he has no interest in managing after he retires but has expressed an interest in owning a team, Derek is a boss so why not. Anyway, in an interview with ESPN's Andrew Marchand Jeter revealed his top four favorite movies of all time. Maybe he will get a movie theater from the Yankees on Derek Jeter Day.... Here's the list:

1. American History X - Great movie, quite possibly my favorite movie of all time too but I think Inception may be higher on my list. I have a huge man crush on Leonardo DiCaprio.

2. Major League - Who doesn't love Major League?

3. The Shawshank Redemption - Probably Top 5 on ANYONE'S list, especially mine.

4. The Five Heartbeats - Never heard of this one. It's a 1991 flick about the Temptations so I probably won't check it out but maybe you should.

5. Scarface(another Quaalude and she'll love me again), The Shining (never seen it), New Jack City (see the shining), and Friday (daaaaaaammmmn) were also honorable mentions on Jeter's list. It's always nice to get a little insight into the captain's mind because it's pretty rare.

Charleston Riverdogs Game Recap 5/28

Drive Rallies for Split Despite de Oleo's Grand Slam
Greenville's comeback snaps Brady Lail's streak of six consecutive winning appearances

CHARLESTON, SC - Eduardo de Oleo hit a go-ahead grand slam for the Charleston RiverDogs in the fourth inning, but the Greenville Drive scored seven runs, all with two outs, in a 7-5 Drive victory in front of 3,982 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in South Atlantic League action.
The RiverDogs have a 27-25 record while the Drive moves to 26-25, clinching a 2-2 series split. Brady Lail, who had won his last six starts, did not factor in the decision for the first time since Charleston's 8-7 comeback win against the Rome Braves on April 17.
Jantzen Witte homered in the first inning to put Greenville in front by a 1-0 margin. With two outs and an 0-2 count, Witte cleared the left field scoreboard against Lail for the early lead.
Greenville's advantage increased to 2-0 in the top of the fourth inning. Manuel Margot led off the inning with a single and moved to third base after a pair of groundouts. A wild pitch scored Margot to give the Drive a two-run lead.
Charleston rallied for five runs to take a 5-2 lead in its half of the fourth. Dustin Fowler doubled to break up Joe Gunkel's perfect game bid. Fowler scored on a one-out single by Aaron Judge. Later in the frame, de Oleo connected on a 3-2 pitch for a grand slam to left-center field that put the RiverDogs in the lead.
Lail was in line for the victory until the Drive rallied in the sixth inning. After Jordan Cote picked up two quick outs, Forrestt Allday received a walk and Tzu-Wei Lin followed with a double. Both runners scored during a single from Witte, cutting the deficit to 5-4. Witte advanced to third base during Carlos Asuaje's single and scored on a game-tying single by Wendell Rijo that tied the contest.
The tie was broken by Greenville in the eighth inning on a blast from Asuaje. Charleston's Chris Smith induced a groundout and recorded a strikeout prior to Witte's inning-extending walk. Asuaje hit a first-pitch home run to right field, giving the Drive a 7-5 advantage to win the game.
Jonathan Aro earned the win after four scoreless and hitless innings of relief. Aro's record is 1-0 while Smith drops to 1-1 with the loss. Greenville also had 14 of the 17 total hits in a close contest. All three RiverDogs hits came in their go-ahead rally in the fifth.
BALLPARK FUN: Firefighters Appreciation Night was celebrated at The Joe, which was also honored by official proclamations from the cities of Charleston, North Charleston, Summerville, Goose Creek, and Walterboro. Firefighters were also raising money for the MUSC Children's Hospital Burned Children's Fund. It was Guaranteed Wins-Day, so all fans in attendance may use their tickets to get into the next Wednesday home game for free.
COMING UP: Charleston hosts a four-game series against the Asheville Tourists, starting on Thursday at 7:05pm. RiverDogs RHP Rookie Davis (2-4, 4.93 ERA) is scheduled to pitch against Tourists RHP Konner Wade (3-5, 5.64 ERA). It is another Budweiser Thirsty Thursday, presented by 95SX with $1 drafts in the Ashley View Pub. ISHPI sponsors Military Appreciation Night, which includes free tickets for all active and retired military members and their immediate families by showing a military ID at the box office. For the occasion, the RiverDogs have partnered with Palmetto Brewery to serve Homefront IPA with all proceeds benefitting Operation Homefront. Tickets may be purchased at the Riley Park Box Office, (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or on-line at www.riverdogs.com. If fans cannot make it to the ballpark, they are encouraged to tune in to all the action this year both home and away worldwide on www.riverdogs.com and locally on 1250 WTMA, the new radio home for RiverDogs baseball.

Being posted with permission from the Charleston Riverdogs, the original post can be seen HERE



Trenton Thunder Game Recap 5/28

O'Brien's Slam Not Enough in 12-Inning Loss

READING, PA - Peter O'Brien's majestic grand slam in the third inning was the notable blast in Wednesday's ballgame until Reading's Cam Perkins launched a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the 12th inning for a 9-6 win.
With runners on first and third base with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning, Thunder reliever Francisco Rondon struck out Brock Stassi to bring up Perkins with a chance to push the game to a 13th inning. Instead, on a 2-1 pitch, Perkins crushed a three-run homer to left field ten feet inside the foul line and well over the 330-foot sign.
The Thunder forced extras when Mason Williams led the top of the 9th inning off with a single. He then advanced to second base on his tenth steal of the season with no one out to set-up a go-ahead RBI triple by Rob Refsnyder to tie the score 6-6. Refsnyder stood at third base with no outs but was cut down at home plate on a fielder's choice by shortstop Edgar Duran to keep the game tied.
In the top of the 4th inning, the Thunder trailed 3-0 but Refsnyder, Austin and Gary Sanchez all reached to load the bases. That set-up O'Brien for his ninth homer in a Thunder uniform which set the Minor League lead with 19 on the season (10 with Tampa, 9 with Trenton). O'Brien, who hadn't walked in his first 69 plate appearances with the Thunder, also walked twice in the ballgame.
Refsnyder continued his hot hitting for Trenton and was the lone batter (3-for-5) to have multi-hit games. Prior to the walk-off home run, the Thunder bullpen had combined for 7.0 shutout innings in relief of starter Eric Ruth.
The Thunder conclude their three-game series and seven-game roadtrip against the Fightin Phils Thursday day with a 11:35 a.m. first pitch and 11:20 a.m. pre-game show on 91.3 FM and www.trentonthunder.com.

Being posted with permission from the Trenton Thunder, the original post can be seen HERE

This Day In New York Yankees History 5/29


On this day in 1997 the Hideki Irabu Era started in the Bronx with the New York Yankees. The Padres sent Irabu to the Yankees to complete an April 22nd trade that sent Gordon Amerson and Homer Bush to New York in exchange for Rafael Medina, Ruben Rivera, and $3 million. Irabu was purchased by the Padres from the Chiba Lotte Mariners in January but refused to sign with San Diego, or any team not named the Yankees. In three years Irabu compiled a 29-20 record and was called a fat toad by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner once, publicly.


On this day in 2002 the New York Yankees Roger Clemens becomes the third major league pitcher to strike out 10 or more batters in at least 100 games. Nolan Ryan did it 215 times and Randy Johnson did it 175 times.


Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Ellsbury, Murphy Power Yankees Offense Past Cardinals in Rubber Game

After getting shutout yesterday, the Yankees were no doubt in dyer need of a victory.

The Bombers, who had just 5 hits in last night's loss, had fallen to three games out of first place, with a star-lacking lineup this evening making them appear to be weak. 

That wasn't the case though, as the Pinstripes scored seven runs off Cardinals Starter Shelby Miller on way to a 7-4 rubber game win.

For the first two innings, the Yanks' offense failed to get a runner in scoring position, but for the next two frames the bats couldn't be stopped.

The Yankees' original rally began with runners on first and second and one out in the top of third, when Jacoby Ellsbury lined a single to right-center to give New York an early 1-0 lead.

Two batters later, backup Catcher John Ryan Murphy added to the advantage, driving in two more with a hit of his own followed by an RBI Fielder's Choice from Ichiro.

In their next half-inning, the Bombers continued to embarrass Miller, crossing home three more times thanks to a two-run single from Ellsbury, his second and third RBIs of the contest, and a liner to right from Brian McCann, scoring Ellsbury from second.

At that point, the ballgame looked to be over, as the Pinstripes had a dominant 7-0 lead.

Unfortunately, that wasn't completely true, as New York's Hiroki Kuroda ended up surrendering three runs on 9 hits in his 5.2 frames of work, costing him a quality start.

Still, that line was good enough for #18 to get the win, improving his 2014 record to 4-3 and slightly raising his ERA to 4.57.

After he left this one, Dellin Betances, who originally wasn't supposed to appear, came in to get the last out of the sixth, inducing a Matt Holliday flyout on the first pitch he threw.

Following him, the usually-perfect Adam Warren entered the contest, leaving a man on second in a rough five-out performance. 

That runner would eventually score in the bottom of the eighth on a single surrendered by David Robertson, who did bounce back later on to end the non-save situation with three consecutive strikeouts, lowering his ERA to a solid 2.20.

Game Thread: Yankees vs. Cardinals 5/28


The New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals will finish up their three game set tonight in Busch Stadium in the finale of this historic and rare series. The Yankees will send the struggling and home run prone Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face off with the struggling and home run prone Shelby Miller for the Cardinals. The game will be played at 8:15 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with WFAN.

I just wanted to take a second to praise our new partners over at Ticket Monster. I am taking my son to his first baseball game on August 10 when the Atlanta Braves host the Washington Nationals and decided to give them a look while trying to find the best price on tickets and I was extremely pleased that I did. Ticket Monster was not only cheaper than Stubhub, Braves ticket exchange, and the equivalent but the shipping and handling was free, there were no fees, and the tickets were shipped the same day. I got a tracking number already and will have my actual tickets, not a digital print off, in hand by this Friday. I don't think I'll buy my tickets from anywhere ever again. Check out Ticket Monster HERE for all your ticket needs.

Enjoy the game Yankees family and enjoy the rest of your evening.

To Be The Best You Have To Beat The Best... Meme


Shelby Miller is on the mound tonight in the finale of the three game set between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees. According to this meme Miller is the best, the world champ, so to be the best you have to beat the best. Beat the best tonight Yankees and let's use this game as a springboard that we talk about in the Canyon of Heroes.

Yankees Sitting Half of Starting Lineup in St. Louis Finale

Despite the fact that tonight's game in St. Louis both decides the series and determines whether or not this road trip is winning, the Yankees have sat half of their starting lineup for the contest, The YES Network's Jack Curry reports. 

While Mark Teixeira not playing isn't necessarily surprising, the other three somewhat are, as Yangervis Solarte, Derek Jeter, and Alfonso Soriano will be replaced by Kelly Johnson, Brendan Ryan, and Ichiro Suzuki respectively. 

Now considering that Solarte and Jeter haven't gotten games off for a while (Solarte - May 5, Jeter - May 18), their break is reasonable, but since Soriano just sat Monday his is definitely a little strange.

As for who's replacing Teixeira, John Ryan Murphy technically's the guy, catching while Brian McCann plays first. The start at first will be the first of McCann's career, although the veteran isn't completely inexperienced at the position, recording two putouts in a game back on April 24.

Neither of those plays were necessarily hard for #34, as they each were just step-on-the-base-and-catch-it kind of putouts, but still, I wouldn't panic right now if I'm a Yankees fan. Clearly, McCann knows something about playing the position, otherwise he wouldn't be doing it.

Preview: New York Yankees @ St. Louis Cardinals 5/28


The New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals will play the finale of their three game set this week at Busch Stadium. The Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound looking to seal the win for the Yankees before the off day and will face off with Shelby Miller for the Cardinals. The game will be played at 8:15 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Kuroda is coming off a start in which he allowed four runs, two earned, and eight hits in only 4.2 innings against the Chicago White Sox. Kuroda will look to go deeper into a game and keep the ball in the ballpark as he has allowed five home runs in his last three starts.

Miller has not shied away from putting runners on base this season and it finally came back to bite him in the rear in his last start. Miller allowed four runs in a start for the second time this season and failed to make it through more than five innings pitched. Miller is very walk prone and home run prone so I expect this to be a long and patience testing game for the Yankees and their fans.

Go Yankees!!

Dante Bichette Jr. Named FSL Player of the Week


Tampa, Fla. - The Florida State League named Tampa Yankees Infielder Dante Bichette Jr. Player of the Week today. This honor was for games played May 19 - May 25, 2014.  
  
           Bichette Jr. played in eight (8) games during this span batting .357 with eight (8) hits in 28 plate appearances. He hit one (1) double and three (3) homeruns with 13 RBI's and five (5) runs scored. His OBP was .406 and his slugging average was .714. He currently leads the team in doubles and is second with 30 RBI.      

          This is the fourth year of professional baseball for the 2011 Supplemental Round A (51st overall) First-Year Draft pick from Orlando, FL. He was ranked No. 9 among Yankees prospects by MLB.com entering the 2013 season.

        The Tampa Yankees are the Single-A Advanced Affiliate of the New York Yankees. For more information about the Tampa Yankees call (813) 673-3055 or visit www.tybaseball.com.

Jeremy Bleich Earns E.L. Pitcher of the Week


Trenton Thunder starting pitcher Jeremy Bleich has been selected as the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the period of May 19th-May 25th.  

The 6’2”, 200 lb. hurler started one game for the Thunder last week and had a record of 1-0 with 10 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA in 7.0 IP.  Bleich, who is a native of Metairie, La. made his lone appearance of the week on Friday night at Richmond in a 6-1 victory by the Thunder. He gave up just four hits while striking out a career-high 10 batters and walking two while matching his career-high for innings pitched.

The 24-year old tied for the league lead last week with a 0.00 ERA and also finished ranked among the weekly league leaders in wins, strikeouts (10-tied 5th) and batting average against (.154-tied 8th).  In 10 starts for the Thunder this season Bleich has a record of 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA.  He currently ranks sixth in the league in strikeouts (49), eighth in WHIP (1.16) and ninth in batting average against (.229) and is tied for seventh in wins.  

The left-hander was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round with the 44th overall pick of the 2008 draft after putting together a record of 3-3 with a 2.09 ERA in 11 games, nine starts, during his junior season at Stanford University.

Daniel Ortiz, an OF for the New Britain Rock Cats, was selected as the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period.

Bleich is the third Trenton Thunder player (second pitcher) to win an E.L. weekly award in 2014. RHP Bryan Mitchell earned Pitcher of the Week for the period ending April 21 and INF Kyle Roller earned the Player of the Week for the period ending April 27.

The Thunder begin a three-game series in Reading, Pa. against the Reading Fightin Phils Tuesdaynight before returning home for a four-game/three-day series starting Friday against the Portland Sea Dogs. Saturday is a split doubleheader with first pitches scheduled for 2:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m., and tickets for all four games are available by visiting trentonthunder.com/tickets or by calling(609)394-3300.