Shane Greene threw 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball and Brian McCann hit his nineteenth home run of the season today as the Yankees bounced back nicely from yesterday's doubleheader sweep to beat the Orioles, 3-2, in game three at Camden Yards.
In this one's top of the first, strangely, the inconsistent Yanks' offense went down on just five pitches, a frustrating inconvenience that appeared to make them in for a long day.
Instead, though, a few timely hits in the top of the second off Miguel Gonzalez (6 IP, 3 ER) eventually led them to victory, with the aforementioned homer by McCann starting, but not ending, the scoring.
Because after McCann went deep, surprisingly, Mark Teixeira worked a walk and the red-hot Chris Young doubled him to third, setting up a clutch RBI Single by Antoan Richardson and an intelligent double-steal that plated Young.
No, from that point on the Yanks' bats didn't continue to threaten, but due to the solid performance of the recently-lousy Greene in which nine O's struck out and a trio of escape acts by Josh Outman, Shawn Kelley, and David Robertson in the last three frames New York found a way to retain their lead, a fortunate happening that brought them to within 4 1/2 of the second wild card spot.
IRISH CANDLES...on order. Leave your phone number.
ReplyDeleteTonight, let's look at a six man rotation for the 2015 campaign.
Why ? .....Because it may happen, in some form, or another. Let's pretend.
The Yankees have pitching...Very good pitching when healthy.
Try this six-pack out. The 2015 rotation :
a...Pinada
b...Tanaka
c...McCarthy
d...Nova
e...Greene
f...James ' Big game ' Shields .....where did he come from?
Not bad ? Tweak the bullpen, and your solid. They really are solid.
The offense ? Complicated, like shoots, and ladders....but easily correctable.
Easy for me to say. Candle, anyone ?
Think you might be forgetting someone... the highest paid starting pitcher in the rotation Mr. CC Sabathia.
DeleteYeah, sorry to burst your bubble, but Sabathia is not going anywhere. He'll be a Yankee, and he'll be a starter.
DeleteDANIEL & BRYAN....you're not bursting my bubble, and I forgot no one.
ReplyDeleteThe highest paid pitcher in baseball...... is done.
As far as him being a Yankee, and a starter.......I hope not. He is done.
An albatross is he. That will only stink up next years rotation, and cost someone a job.
While I don't feel good about him, CC will be a starter... sorry.
DeleteFYI the highest paid pitcher in baseball is left handed but he plays in Los Angeles.
DeleteBRYAN....send the ' starter ' over to the Mets, as a thank you for the Chris Young pick-up.
ReplyDeleteNobody would take him unless the Yankees paid all but a few million dollars of his salary. Even the Mets.
DeleteHe also has a NTC so he would have to want to leave.
DeleteThere is a way to have CC WANT to leave!
ReplyDeleteIF he can't carry his own water, put him in the BP and use him only when it is a blow-out. A while of that and he will ask to be traded or even retire.
He's not that bad. He's a solid bottom of the rotation starter at worst.
DeleteBut, why would we want a pitcher that should be a number 6 or 7 starter in the #5 spot?
DeleteUnless he has learned to pitch as he must (without his 92-3 fastball), he will be a black hole in the rotation. The job the starters have done this year is great, why mess it up?
We have 5 and adding to that is Severion, for a fine 6 man rotation...IF they were to get there heads out of their collective asses.
Tanaka, Pineda, Green, McCarthy and Nova...IF six is what they go with, add Severino, Warren or even Banuelos (of whom I have said should go to the BP) another lefty never hurt a team.
Even if CC were to throw to a 5.00 ERA, that would be good enough for 83rd among all MLB starters with at least 150 innings thrown. That is better than a #5 starter.
DeleteWhile I like Shane Greene, let's not get ahead of ourselves. He's 25, has only 68.1 innings pitched in MLB, and while good has not set the World on fire.
McCarthy may not be on the team next year as his contract is up after this season.
Severino has only 25 innings pitched above A ball, so chances are he doesn't sniff the Majors until 2016.
Adam Warren hasn't even started a game this year, and in the three games he has started in MLB he's been hit hard.
You didn't bring him up, but one of the pitchers that's solidified the rotation is Chris Capuano, and like McCarthy he too is a free agent after this season.
The only starters signed for 2015 are Tanaka, Pineda, Nova, Greene, and Sabathia. If another starter is acquired, Greene is certainly the odd man out.
One final thought... CC's problem isn't his stuff being ineffective, his problem is health. That's not to say I think he'll be 100% healthy from 2015 on, but the Yankees' focus should not be on finding his replacement first, but getting him healthy.
Sorry Bryan, I must respectively disagree on his stuff, without the fastball.! You are 100% right about his health, pitchers with bad legs end up with NO C&C or very little.
DeleteHe has the stuff, IF he had good C&C of it, but until he gets there, he will be hit hard. He could get away with missing spots up in the zone but, not with little respect given to his fastball. He will have to go in and out which he can do but he must have command of the plate or boom. Bad sliders go a long way, that is why I always teach CHANGE-UP, CURVE and FASTBALL with movement!
On top of that who really wants a $25 million (or whatever the number is, I know it's less than that) relief pitcher? Sabathia is not an ace and it's Joe Girardi's fault he is being used as one, not his. Keep Sabathia and get what you can out of him.
ReplyDeleteSOLUTION : Re: Sabathia.
ReplyDeleteAssign Sabathia to sell hot dogs, in the third deck. That way he can still be connected
to the game. And, then sign....... James ' Big Game ' Shields.