Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Kelley folds in ninth as Yankees fall to Orioles in rubber game, 5-4

Despite getting 7 innings of three-run ball from Starter Masahiro Tanaka and a scoreless eighth from Middle Relievers Matt Thornton and Adam Warren, the Yankees lost tonight's rubber game to the Orioles, 5-4. Through 24 outs here, the Yanks pitching was doing alright, but in the ninth interim Closer Shawn Kelley completely fell apart, giving up 4 consecutive hits and 2 runs to start the outing before bouncing back to get his last two hitters.

Anyway, the Bombers offense wasn't very consistent this evening, but when they did score they usually did in an entertaining way, getting two home runs from Carlos Beltran (3-for-3 with a walk) and Kelly Johnson (2-for-4) before tacking on a couple more thanks to a groundout from Alfonso Soriano and Sac Fly from Brian Roberts. 

Besides those guys, Left-Fielder-turned-temporary-Center-Fielder Brett Gardner also played pretty well in this one, going 2-for-4 with a first inning single and an eighth inning double.

Game Thread: Yankees vs. Orioles 4/9


The New York Yankees will go into Yankee Stadium tonight looking for a series win after splitting the first two games with the Baltimore Orioles this series. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound for his second start in the major leagues and will face off with Miguel Gonzalez for the Orioles. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and will be televised on the YES Network, MLB TV, and on the radio with WFAN.

Don't forget to join the conversation with us on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes, we are one of the few media sites that believe in the "social" part of social media. Also you can leave us a line in the comments section of the site and join our growing community here. You can also get your Yankees tickets here on the site for this game and all Yankees games right here on the blog and please check out our Mega Prediction Game where you wager on whether the Yankees will win or lose, don't worry you will not be banned from baseball for participating.

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

Help Wanted: Looking For Writers


Attention all budding sports writers and journalists The Greedy Pinstripes are looking for new writers to join the family for the 2014 season. We have a great stable of writers currently but are always looking to bring you, the readers, a better and fuller experience. You can apply by leaving us a line in the comments section of this post, by tweeting us on Twitter to @GreedyStripes, or you can send me an email at thegreedypinstripes at gmail. We look forward to talking to each and every one of you, thank you for your time.

Preview: New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles 4/9


The New York Yankees look to win their three game set with the Baltimore Orioles tonight after these two teams have split the first two games at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees got thumped yesterday afternoon but today is a new day and the Yankees never get drilled like that in consecutive days, do they? The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound, so Happy Tanaka Day, to face off with Miguel Gonzalez for the Orioles. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on the YES Network, MLB TV, and on the radio on WFAN.

Go Yankees!!!

AL & NL Best Reliever Awards Named For Mariano Rivera & Trevor Hoffman


Major League Baseball just announced that yearly the best relief pitchers in the American League and the National League will be named after the two men with the most saves in the history of the game, Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera. Obviously the best in the AL will receive the Rivera award and the best in the NL will receive the Hoffman award after both men spent their entire careers in their respective leagues.

Mariano Rivera retired as the All Time saves leader with 652 saves, all for the New York Yankees, as Trevor Hoffman finished his San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, and Florida Marlins career with 602 saves, second most in Major League history.

The new awards will be given out at the end of the 2014 season and will replace the MLB's Delivery Man of the Year Award. The award will be determined by a vote of other great relievers with Rivera and Hoffman being joined by Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Lee Smith, John Franco, Billy Wagner, and Bruce Sutter. The nine voters will rank the top three in each league based solely on regular season performance and will use a 5-3-1 weighted points system to determine the winner.

My colleague and friend Bryan Van Dusen said he would not sleep until an award was named after the great Mariano Rivera. Well Bryan, sleep tight my friend.

Austin Romine Sent To AAA, Greene On Way Up?



UPDATE: It's officially Shane Greene on the way up.

Austin Romine was called up when Mark Teixeira injured his hamstring and has been sent back down to AAA Scranton today. With the Yankees bullpen being overworked recently, especially yesterday when Ivan Nova laid an egg, New York may be calling up a relief pitcher for tonight's game against Baltimore.

Preston Claiborne and Shane Greene are on the 40 man roster so one of these two men are likely to come up, hopefully it's Greene after Claiborne got bombed all spring. Claiborne pitched in Scranton Tuesday night and is a one inning reliever, Greene can give the Yankees multiple innings so Shane seems like the more obvious choice.

No corresponding roster move has been announced yet so stay tuned.

The Yankees did not send down Vidal Nuno after he took one on the chin in yesterday's game throwing 3.1 IP and 67 pitches because they would have to wait 10 days to call him back in case you were wondering.

Yankees Minor Leagues Hit w/ Injury Bug As Well


The Yankees have been hit significantly this season already, with the injuries of Mark Teixeira and David Robertson most notably, and the Yankees minor league players have been hit hard as well. Below is a list of players who have started out at least on the seven day DL to start the season:

Scranton RailRiders: 

RHP Andrew Bailey, RHP Jose Ramirez, LHP Francisco Rondon, LHP Nik Turley, OF Ronnier Mustelier

Trenton Thunder: 

RHP Nick Goody, RHP Scottie Allen, LHP Rigoberto Arrebato, C Kyle Higashioka, 3B Casey Stevenson, OF Slade Heathcott 

Tampa Yankees: 

RHP Jose Campos, 1B Greg Bird, 1B Matt Snyder, 3B Anderson Feliz, OF Ericson Leonora

Charleston Riverdogs: 

RHP Conor Mullee, RHP Gabe Encinas, RHP Luis Niebla, C Jackson Valera, 3B Kevin Cornelius, 3B Matt Duran

Nik Turley is battling the same throwing arm stiffness that kept him basically out of all of spring training. Andrew Bailey was signed injured and will not be ready until June or July. Jose Ramirez is fighting another oblique injury, the same injury that robbed him of much of his 2013 season. Slade Heathcott had cleanup knee surgery this offseason and is still recovering from that but expects to be ready relatively soon. Jose Campos being on the list again is not encouraging and neither is Greg Bird with his back flaring up again. Either way none of these injuries are all that serious, like Tommy John surgery for instance, so the Yankees farm will be back and be strong again soon, we hope.

Quick Hit: One Of Many Reasons Why I Love Baseball


We all love baseball, I don't think you would be here reading this if you didn't, but after games like yesterday I really love baseball. The Yankees pitching staff took a thumping yesterday afternoon losing to the Baltimore Orioles 14-5 and what does it really matter? Sure a loss is a loss but today is a new day with a new pitcher and hopefully a new offense. Just one of the many reasons that I love baseball and it is arguably the greatest sport on the planet in my humble opinion. Go Yankees!

Trenton Thunder Game Recap 4/8

Bats Explode Again, 10-1 Win over Sea Dogs

TRENTON, NJ - Ben Gamel, Gary Sanchez and Ali Castillo each had three hits to lead the Thunder to a 10-1 victory over Portland on Tuesday night at ARM & HAMMER Park.
Trenton wasted no time getting their offense started against Sea Dogs starter Mike McCarthy, tagging him for four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Sanchez drove in the game's first run with a base hit through the middle. Tyler Austin, who went made his season debut on Tuesday, followed with a sacrifice fly to center. Rob Refsnyder hit a two-run home run to complete the scoring in the first.
The Thunder added three runs over the next two innings to hold a 7-0 lead after three.
Thunder starting pitcher Matt Tracy earned his first victory of the season with five and a third innings of one-run ball. Tracy allowed five hits, three walks and struck out a pair.
Portland managed just one offensive threat in the game, scoring a run in the sixth inning, however, they left two runners in scoring position as reliever Branden Pinder retired Michael Brenly with a ground out to short.
Mason Williams, Gamel, Rob Segedin and Sanchez, the top four hitters in Trento's order, combined to go 10-for-19 with a walk, six runs scored and five runs driven in at the top of the batting order.
Each Thunder starter except for Tyler Austin (0-for-3 with an RBI) recorded a hit in the game and all but Austin and Yeral Sanchez scored a run in the game.
The Thunder will complete their series with Portland tomorrow night. The Thunder send RHP Bryan Mitchell (0-1, 9.00) to the mound, Portland will counter with LHP Henry Owens (1-0, 0.00). First pitch will be thrown at 7:05. The first 2,000 fans, through the gate on Wednesday will receive a Magnetic Schedule presented by Mercer County Improvement Authority.

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

Charleston Riverdogs Game Recap 4/8


RiverDogs Drive Greenville Out of The Joe
Three home runs and a shutout start highlight Charleston's home-opening rout

CHARLESTON, SC - Mike Ford, Brandon Thomas, and Michael O'Neill each hit home runs and Caleb Smith pitched five shutout innings as the Charleston RiverDogs defeated the Greenville Drive 10-1 on Tuesday night in front of 3,122 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in South Atlantic League action.
With the win, Charleston improves to 3-2 in Southern Division play while Greenville falls back to 2-3 this season. It was also the RiverDogs home opener after Monday's scheduled contest was postponed due to rain.
The first RiverDogs home run of the season was provided by Ford in the bottom of the first inning. With Tyler Wade on second base following a walk and a stolen base, Ford lifted a fly ball into the batter's eye off Greenville's Mario Alcantara that put the RiverDogs ahead 2-0.
That cushion was more than enough for Smith, who was very efficient in his Charleston debut. Smith allowed one hit and just three baserunners in five innings pitched. The southpaw also struck out five on his way to the win.
Charleston added two runs in the fourth inning before exploding for a big rally in the fifth. Tyler Wade led off the frame with a single while Aaron Judge and Ford followed with walks to load the bases. Myles Smith replaced Alcantara on the mound but uncorked a wild pitch that scored Wade. Miguel Andujar reloaded the bases with a walk before the RiverDogs went deep again.
On the first pitch from Smith, Thomas cleared the right field fence with a grand slam to give the RiverDogs a nine-run lead. O'Neill came up two batters later and hit a solo home run to left-center field, improving Charleston's lead to 10-0.
Greenville finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning. Tim Roberson's sacrifice fly brought in Tzu-Wei Lin to cut the deficit to nine. It would be the only offense that the Drive picked up in the contest.
Smith's record is now 1-0 for the RiverDogs after taking the win. The loss is charged to Alcantara, whose record is 0-1 this season.
COMING UP: This now-abbreviated two-game series closes at 11:05am on Wednesday morning with the first of two Education Days at The Joe. Charleston RHP Rookie Davis (1-0, 0.00 ERA) is scheduled to start against Greenville LHP Cody Kukuk (1-0, 1.80 ERA). Children throughout the Lowcountry will pack The Joe with the College of Charleston School of Science and Math providing hands-on activities and demonstrations. Tickets may be purchased at the Riley Park Box Office, (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or on-line at www.riverdogs.com.

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

This Day In New York Yankees History 4/9


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.


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.


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.