Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Game Thread: Yankees vs. Athletics 6/3


The New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics will start a three game set tonight at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound continuing to search for consistency as the A's counter with Scott Kazmir. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network, MLB TV, and WFAN.

Get your Yankees tickets for this game and the entire series as the Yankees get ready to go out on the road on Friday. Follow @GreedyStripes on twitter to chat during the game or shoot us a line in our comments section of the site. We always enjoy talking Yankees baseball and always have someone around to talk.

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

Not Great News On The Michael Pineda Front


The New York Yankees have not given a timetable for the return of Michael Pineda but it cannot be anytime soon as he was transferred to the 60 day DL today. Pineda has been on the disabled list since May 6 officially so it has not even been a month yet. With Pineda's latest setback the transfer is not all that surprising but it sounds like a much longer time he will be out when you get put on the 60 day DL.

Presumably Pineda was transferred to give recently claimed Wade LeBlanc a 40 man roster spot. Not great news on the Pineda front, not great news at all.

Masahiro Tanaka Named AL Pitcher of the Month


The New York Yankees ace rookie starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has been named the American League's Pitcher of the Month according to MLB.com and Yankees.com. Tanaka won five games in May and has his first career shutout in his career as he took home the award.

Tanaka is the first Yankees rookie pitcher to win the award since the award was first given out in 1979. Tanaka is also the first Yankee to win the award since Ivan Nova won it in August of 2013.

Tanaka was 5-1 with a 1.88 ERA in May.

Sizemore Called Up, Zoilo Sent Down, LeBlanc Claimed


The New York Yankees have sent down Zoilo Almonte with the return of Carlos Beltran on the horizon. With four healthy outfielders on the roster already Zoilo was a bit of a wasted roster spot. The Yankees called up Scott Sizemore to take his place on the roster, at least temporarily. Kind of ironic that Sizemore started the season wearing #24 and Zoilo had been wearing it since he was called back up.

Sizemore is expected to be sent back down when Carlos Beltran is activated Friday against the Kansas City Royals. Sizemore will look to make the most of his call up though and is in the lineup tonight against the Oakland A's.

The Yankees also claimed Wade LeBlanc off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after he was designated for assignment this week. LeBlanc is only 29 years old and left handed and could mark the end of the Alfredo Aceves Part Duex experiment in New York, and not an inning too soon.

Mark Teixeira & Carlos Beltran Injury Updates


The New York Yankees got some great news on both fronts with Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran today, a chance for once. Teixeira took batting practice today and thinks the cortisone shot worked. Teix is in the lineup tonight in the first game against the Oakland Athletics.

Beltran went 2-4 with a walk in Extended Spring Training today. Beltran reported no pain and came through just fine and could be activated Friday before the Kansas City series. Beltran only hit right handed today but that is no cause for alarm, he only hit left handed yesterday.

Scott Kazmir Got Some Help From Roger Clemens Meme


In this meme Scott Kazmir re-invented himself and rejuvenated his career with a little help from Roger Clemens. Did he teach him the splitter or something? Hmm....

Preview: New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics 6/3


The New York Yankees will host the Oakland Athletics tonight in the first of a three game series at Yankee Stadium before heading back out on the road. The Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face off with Scott Kazmir for the Athletics. The game will be played at 7:05 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. Get your Yankees tickets for tonight's game right here on the blog through Ticket Monster with no fees and free same day shipping. 

Kuroda is coming off yet another short outing for the Yankees lasting only 5.2 innings and allowing three runs and nine hits against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees offense came to town that day though and got Kuroda a much needed win, now it's time to start a winning streak for Hirok.

Kazmir is coming off his first complete game in over eight seasons last time out for the A's. Kazmir held the high powered Detroit Tigers to only one run last week and looks to keep that going tonight in New York. Kazmir is 6-2 and has a 2.36 ERA this season and has allowed more than three runs just once in 11 starts this season.

Go Yankees!!

Robertson & Rivera's First Season As Closer


For all those fans ready to give up on David Robertson as the closer and ready to hand the ball in the ninth to Dellin Betances I ask that you calm down and read this post. Please open your mind and be willing to see both sides of the argument regardless of the names of legends detailed in this post. Thank you in advance.

Mariano Rivera has blown saves, Rivera has got bombed, and Rivera has lost games for the Yankees. Robertson has too but when Robertson does it the world loses their mind, enter Heath Ledger as the Joker meme here. We have to remember that this is the first season for Robertson as the closer in New York and even the Great Rivera struggled in his first season as closer in 1997.

The world lost it's mind on Sunday when Phil Hughes and the Minnesota Twins came to Yankee Stadium and Robertson gave up five runs in the ninth inning. Robertson at the time had two blown saves and 12 successful saves, nothing to shake a stick at by any means. Especially when you remember that Rivera had nine blown saves in 1997, not including the postseason blown save against the Cleveland Indians that ultimately sent us home for the winter.

We all need to chill, Robertson will be fine. Rivera was fine then. Rivera blew four and five saves in a season multiple times in his prime as well. If Rivera can do it, Robertson can do it. If Rivera can do it, Betances will do it. Chill and trust in David Robertson.

Rob Refsnyder Named EL Player of the Week


Refsnyder Named EL Player of the Week
Infielder is the Fourth Thunder Player To Earn Weekly Honor This Season
 
The Eastern League announced today that Thunder second baseman Robert Refsnyder has been selected as the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of May 26th-June 1st.

The 23-year old hit .500 (14-for-28) with four doubles, two triples, one home run, seven RBI, seven runs scored, two walks and a .964 slugging percentage in seven games for the Thunder last week. Refsnyder, who is a native of Laguna Hills, California, had at least one extra base hit in all seven games he played in last week and drove in or scored at least one run in six of those games, including hitting a home run and driving in four runs in a 12-2 win at Reading on Thursday morning. The 6’1”, 205 lb. slugger led all Eastern League players in extra-base hits (9), doubles (4) and OPS (1.498) last week and tied for first in batting average (.500) and triples (2). He also finished ranked among the weekly leaders in hits (14-2nd), total bases (27-2nd), slugging percentage (.964-2nd), on-base percentage (.533-5th), RBI (7-tied 5th) and runs scored (7-tied 6th). Robert, who is hitting .320 with 16 doubles, five triples, five homers, 32 runs scored and 25 RBI in 54 games this season, was selected by the New York Yankees in the fifth round of the 2012 draft after winning the College World Series during his junior season at the University of Arizona.

Joseph Colon, a, a right-handed starting pitcher for the Akron RubberDucks, was selected as the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

Refsynder is the fourth Trenton Thunder player to win an E.L. weekly award in 2014.  RHP Bryan Mitchell earned Pitcher of the Week for the period ending April 21, INF Kyle Roller earned the Player of the Week for the period ending April 27 and Jeremy Bleich was Pitcher of the Week for the period ending May 27.

Sabathia Could Start Throwing This Week

Shortly after he was put on the DL, Yankees Pitcher CC Sabathia was told he'd be out until July. 

The former Bombers ace, 3-4 with a 5.28 ERA this season, had undergone a stem cell procedure on his injured knee, a method that takes a while to recover from.

Still, according to a recent report, Sabathia could start throwing this weak, something the veteran is eager for.

"I think I'll be at ease once I play catch outside, standing up," Sabathia told the New York Post's Dan Martin before the Bombers fell to the Mariners yesterday. "This week we should have a little more clarity with how long it's going to be."

Since he went down, CC has been replaced in the starting rotation by minor-leaguer Chase Whitley, who's actually done pretty well, surrendering just 6 earned runs in 19 innings of work for a solid 2.37 ERA.

Whitley is decision-less, but still, nothing that's happened in his starts has been his fault, as each outing has lasted at least 4.1 frames.

Now while that is good, it couldn't hurt to get #52 back as soon as possible, especially since every other man in the rotation (with the exception of Masahiro Tanaka) is currently struggling. 

Is Dellin Betances The Next Mariano Rivera? Maybe..

"Yo, that makes me Graeme Lloyd right?" - Manny Banuelos

I know I am pulling this way out of left field here and I realize that this may be way off based but the similarities are too close to ignore. Do we remember way back in 1995 and prior to that when Mariano Rivera was a starting pitcher, a bad one at that, and he was moved to the bullpen for the 1996 season? Mariano Rivera flourished behind a soon to be free agent closer John Wetteland that liked to nibble too much but still got the job done. Long story short the Yankees got their ring in 1996, Wetteland walked via free agency before 1997, and Rivera took over as the closer from 1997 until this season when he retired.

Enter 2014 when we have all been entertained by the fireman Dellin Betances coming out of the bullpen pitching multiple innings and striking out the world. Betances is a "failed" starter that was put into the bullpen as a last ditch effort, sound familiar? Betances is pitching behind our closer in David Robertson that is set to be a free agent after the 2014 season. Sound familiar again?

I realize that Wetteland was a little bit older than Robertson will be as a free agent this season and the Yankees were a little more frugal back then but still, does lightning strike twice? Ask me again after we win the World Series.

The Day Derek Jeter Became The Captain


any other name he was ever given in his walk in life and officially became The Captain. Jeter was named the 11th Yankee Captain in their storied history at age 28. Jeter joins Hal Chase (1912), Roger Peckinpaugh (1914-1921), Babe Ruth (whopping six days in 1922), Everett Scott (1922), Lou Gehrig (1935-1941), Thurman Munson (1976-1979), Graig Nettles (1982-1984), Willie Randolph and Ron Guidry (1986-1989), and Don Mattingly (1991-1995).


Quick Hit: Jeter Leads All SS, Melky Passes Ellsbury


Yesterday we got the latest tally on the 85th Annual All Star Game voting and Derek Jeter still leads all shortstops while Jacoby Ellsbury has been leaped over by former Yankee Melky Cabrera.

Robinson Cano has passed Ian Kinsler for the starting second base spot on the team. Nelson Cruz has passed up David Ortiz, expect a baby fit soon, for the starting DH spot for the American League.

Mike Trout is still the way in way of votes but only leads the second place Jose Bautista by less than 10,000 votes.

Currently the All Star Team for the American League looks like this:

C: Matt Weiters
1B: Miguel Cabrera
2B: Robinson Cano
SS: Derek Jeter
3B: Josh Donaldson
OF: Melky Cabrera
OF: Jose Bautista
OF: Mike Trout
DH: Nelson Cruz

FYI the game will be played on July 15 at Target Field in Minnesota, home of the Minnesota Twins.

This Day In New York Yankees History 6/3


On this day in 1932 Lou Gehrig became the first player to hit four home runs in one game in the 20th century. Gehrig barely missed a fifth in Philadelphia on this day while the Yankees hammer out a major league record 50 total bases in a 20-13 victory.


Also on this day in 1932 Tony Lazzeri hit a grand slam to complete the natural cycle. Lazzeri hit the single, double, triple, and home run in sequential order to complete the rare feat. No one talks about this though after Gehrig went off with the plate.


On this day in 1998 Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez makes his major league debut and gets the victory in a 7-1 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Hernandez escaped from Cuba just six months ago on a boat and allowed only one run on five hits in seven innings for the Yankees.