Friday, June 13, 2014

Game Thread: Yankees vs. Athletics 6/13


The New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics will play three games this weekend in Oakland in more dreaded West Coast games. At least these are weekend games and us on the East Coast can stay up late and watch the games. The Yankees will send David Phelps to the mound to face off with Sonny Gray for the A's. The game will be played at 10:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with WFAN.

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

Most Oakland A's Fans Are Bandwagon Fans... Meme


It's true, it's true. Not that the Yankees don't but still. 

Michael Pineda Out Until At Least August

Yes I know this is Carl Pavano.. and no it's not a coincidence  I posted this picture...

Joe Girardi just confirmed to reporters that starting pitcher Michael Pineda will be out until August at the earliest, when the hell did that happen? Ouch, stay tuned for the details.

Preview: New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics 6/13


The New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics will play a three game set this weekend at the McAfee Oakland Coliseum. The Yankees will send David Phelps to the mound to face off with Sonny Gray for the Athletics. The game will be played at 10:05 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.

Phelps has had a long stretch of rough outings this month and is coming off a rough one against the Kansas City Royals last time out. Phelps allowed a career high 10 hits and matched a career high with seven runs in 5.2 innings. It seemed like manager Joe Girardi left Phelps in that game because he had nothing better in the bullpen that night and the game got out of hand.

Gray has eleven quality starts this season in 13 starts but his last outing was one of the two where things got out of hand a little. Gray gave up five earned runs in 5.1 innings in a loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Gray has allowed 10 earned runs in his last three starts so maybe there is some hope for the Yankees offense tonight.

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Go Yankees!!


Sabathia To Throw Off Mound Next Week


CC Sabathia will throw off a mound next week for the first time since being shut down with a degenerative knee condition. Sabathia has been playing catch for a few days now and has done some flat ground work and is ready to take the next, and biggest, step in his rehab. The Yankees will wait to return home before turning him loose.

Sabathia can blame the knee all he wants but he has been horrible for more than one season and I find it hard to believe it took this long to find the issue. Whitley has been fantastic in his absence and I am not exactly in a hurry to get Chase out of the rotation for Sabathia as bad as that sounds.

Ellsbury Planning to Play Tonight

In the middle of last night's seventh inning, Yankees CF Jacoby Ellsbury left with a sudden injury.

The $153 million offseason signee, currently enjoying a 16-game hitting streak, had run down multiple fly balls in the contest, most notably a bottom of the fifth line drive off the bat of Robinson Cano, which Ellsbury slammed into the wall to catch.

Apparently, that run-saving snag had negative effects on Ellsbury in the long run, as the Yanks' star ended up exiting early with tightness in his right hip.

Despite that, #22 still says he's planning to play in this evening's opener in Oakland, a game the Bombers will probably need a lot of offense in in order to backup David Phelps. 

"It was tight," Ellsbury told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch after the Pinstripes beat the Mariners 6-3. "I'll expect to be in there tomorrow, but I think it was the right decision. I got some ice on it, did everything we could, and I plan on being in there tomorrow."

Ellsbury, who currently leads the team's starters with a .290 batting average, has been the Yankees' best hitter lately, driving in 4 runs in their sweep in Seattle.

The last two, both coming yesterday, took place in the top of the first, when #22 homered off M's Starter Roenis Elias to give the Bombers an early 2-0 lead.

Yankees Sign Heath Bell To Minor League Contract


No, this is not a joke. Yes, we are desperate. The New York Yankees have signed relief pitcher Heath Bell to a minor league deal today after opting out of his contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Mark Montgomery was sent down to Double-A with the Trenton Thunder from Triple-A Scranton to make room for Bell on the RaiRiders roster. This is disappointing as Montgomery was once the next big thing in the Yankee bullpen but 18 walks in 29 innings can derail that pretty quick.

Bell had a 7.27 ERA with the Tampa Bay Rays before being designated for assignment and latching on with the Baltimore Orioles. Bell opted out of his contract and will not try and latch on to the revolving door in the Yankees bullpen.

This should be fun, said no one ever.

I've Got Til 5! - Trade Targets

While acquiring even one of the following players is something of a dream, there's no reason the Yankees shouldn't aim high when it comes to getting some help for this season and beyond.

CC Sabathia has been ineffective for more than a year, Michael Pineda looked great early this year but after another injury who knows what we'll get, Ivan Nova was lost to Tommy John Surgery, Brian Roberts has been little more than a zero, and Alfonso Soriano is as trustworthy as Miley Cyrus as your Godmother.

So let's take a look at some trade targets...

"I want it, and I want it now!"

1. Jeff Samardzija

It would be nice if Samardzija had more years of team control left (he'll be eligible for free agency after next season), but he could be immensely valuable this season and next. Besides, Jeff will be entering his age 31 season in 2016, so letting him go elsewhere may not be the worst decision. And he may not be an ace in New York like he is in Chicago, but he'd play really well as a #2 or possible #3 starter for the next two years.

While the Cubs got third baseman Mike Olt and pitcher CJ Edwards when they traded away Matt Garza, they are expected to get more for Samardzija. The main reason is because of Jeff's age and contact situation compared to Garza's at the time. So it could take a top prospect or two, along with one or two Type B prospects.


2. Giancarlo Stanton

Acquring Stanton through trade may be more of a dream than anything, but there are couple things to consider here.

For starters, while the Marlins are not horrible this year and could be wild card contenders in the NL, the team is well known for being stingy when it comes to spending on payroll. And seeing as how Stanton got $6.5 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility, he's set to make quite a bit in his last two arbitration eligible years. After that there's no way Miami re-signs the young slugger.

Secondly, the Yankees could clearly use an outfielder. Some fans may believe Soriano could come out of his slump and be a solid player, but I'd rather have somebody in the outfield that the team could depend on more often than not. That player could be Beltran if it weren't for the fact that his elbow has pretty much made him a DH-only.

The only real obstacle to making a trade for Giancarlo happen would be the price, which I'm all but certain the Yankees couldn't meet. But it's fun to dream... isn't it?


3. Chase Utley

The Phillies have the fifth worst winning percentage in MLB. They don't have issues with money, so Philadelphia doesn't have to be sellers, but dealing a 35 year-old and rebuilding would probably be best for business.

While it's scary that Utley has vesting options that go through his age 38 season, keep in mind that those options are only triggered if he has 500+ plate appearances in the previous season. And seeing as how he's only reached 500 plate appearances once in the last three years, it would be a solid bet.


4. Cliff Lee

While asking for Chase Utley and Cliff Lee from the same team is a tall order, I think there's better than a 0% chance it could be done. And thanks to losing Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova to injury, along with CC Sabathia being much less than the ace he gets paid to be, the team should definitely try to add more than one starter.

While taking on that much payroll would be rough, it's a lot easier to take than having to spend around four times as much on somebody like Max Scherzer or Jon Lester in the offseason. Besides, I know we'd all feel better about a starting rotation consisting of Tanaka, Lee, Samardzija, Kuroda, and Sabathia.

By the way, this would give the Yanks a chance to let Chase Whitley stretch himself out as a starter in AAA. That way he could return to the big club in 2015 and really show us what he can do.


5. Troy Tulowitzki

This is likely something for this offseason, as the Yankees are not going to push Derek Jeter off of shortstop (just like they aren't going to remove him from the top of the batting order). To be honest, this isn't something that I expect to happen at all.

While the asking price for somebody like Jeff Samardzija is high, the asking price for Tulo would be astronomical. Tulowitzki has the highest fWAR in baseball, while being in first place in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Not to mention his 17 home runs so far this season are not too shabby either.

Can you imagine Troy taking over shortstop for Jeter starting next season? Forget free agents like JJ Hardy or Hanley Ramirez.

I'm not holding my breath, though.

STATEN ISLAND YANKEES TO HOST MEGAN’S LEMONADE STAND TO SUPPORT WOUNDED WARRIORS PROJECT


On Sunday, June 15, the Staten Island Yankees are partnering with the Ajello’s to host a fundraising event at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George. All funds generated will go to the Wounded Warriors Project. 

Megan’s Lemonade Stand will start when the gates at Richmond County Bank Ballpark open at 3 p.m. Staten Island Yankees fans will be able to donate to the lemonade that is prepared by Megan Ajello to raise money for the Wounded Warriors. Also, the first 2,500 fans in the ballpark will receive a “Megan’s Lemonade Stand” souvenir cup.

About Megan’s Lemonade Stand
The lemonade stand for charity started over five years ago in the Ajello driveway. It was the idea of Megan's sister, Erin. Erin decided the first lemonade stand would benefit West Shore Little League, which was the first Staten Island Little League to include physically disabled children, the Challengers. The 2008 Megan's Lemonade stand went to the Strong Kids Campaign for the YMCA. The Ajello family, including parents Linda and Danny, has been members of the South Shore YMCA since 2000. The lemonade stands continued to make thousands of dollars for charities over the years. In 2011, Linda Ajello nominated Megan as a HOPE Week nominee as part of the New York Yankees HOPE Week initiative. The New York Yankees were impressed with Megan's determination. Megan has cerebral palsy, has a seizure disorder, cannot walk, and has gone for more than five major operations, including a spinal fusion which placed metal rods and over 37 screws in her spine. Megan has never let that stop her, and she is always smiling. The New York Yankees not only picked Megan as their nominee for July 28, 2011, they made Megan's Lemonade Stand for charity famous. The generous New York Yankees built a lemonade stand that is truly accessible for Megan, supported the Special Olympics and also the Seton Foundation for Education.

About the Staten Island Yankees
The Staten Island Yankees are the Single A-Short Season Affiliate of the New York Yankees and play at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George. The Staten Island Yankees are six-time New York-Penn League Champions (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011). For more information, visit siyanks.com.

Money & Minorities In Major League Baseball


There has been countless discussions and reasons for why young people, predominantly minorities, choose other sports other than baseball more and more these days. One of the main reasons is that baseball is expensive, and to be honest the cost of a glove, batting gloves, a bat, cleats, uniforms, hats, a cup, etc are rather expensive, but the biggest one is how much money can be made in the NBA and NFL specifically and how quickly it can be made. Forbes released a list of the highest paid athletes in the world and may have shot down these excuses for why minorities are flocking away from Major League Baseball.

Forbes listed 100 players on the highest paid players list and this is the breakdown by sport:

MLB: 27
NFL: 17
NBA: 18
MLS: 15
PGA: 5
Racing: 6
Boxing: 4
Tennis: 6
Track: 1
Cricket: 1

Maybe it's time to find another excuse why minorities are playing other sports. Onlinebookmakers.co seem to think we may see a turnaround soon with minorities in baseball.. See the complete list HERE.

Can't Predict Baseball: Bedlam In The Bronx


You have to wonder if some of these fights went down on Friday the 13th like we see today...

On this day in 1924 the Yankees outfielder Bob Meusel is hit by a pitch in the back by the Detroit Tigers Bert Cole and bedlam starts in the Bronx. The Yankees outfielder would throw his bat and charge the mound resulting in a nine inning brawl. The brawl included everyone from players, fans, and police and would see the Tigers forfeit the game 10-6 because the umpires could not clear the field after 30 minutes. Wow.

On this day in 1957 another ugly brawl broke out when Art Ditmar threw a pitch behind Larry Doby's head. The White Sox infielder took exception to being thrown at and punched the Yankees pitcher Ditmar. Billy Martin, Walt Dropo, Bill Skowron, and Enos Slaughter were all in the middle of the fight.

On this day in 2001 in what should have started a fight the New York Yankees lost to the Montreal Expos in 12 innings after Mark Smith hit a "home run" that was clearly foul on replay. The Yankees would be forced to restore the missing screen on the bottom three feet of the fair side left field foul pole to keep this event from ever happening again.  The section was originally removed so the fans sitting behind the pole would not have an obstructed view of the game.

Quick Hit: This Is Going To Be A TOUGH Series


The Yankees finished off their three games in Safeco Field with the Seattle Mariners with a series win and while the offense still hasn't woken up completely the pitching has been solid overall. The Yankees now travel to Oakland to take on the Athletics and this is going to be one tough series, a series we could potentially get swept in unfortunately.

In the first matchup the Yankees have David Phelps, who has struggled mightily since Memorial Day, facing off with Sonny Gray. If it weren't for Masahiro Tanaka Gray may be leading the Cy Young Award race right now. Unless Phelps really gets tough and keeps things close enough for the offense to strike late or Gray simply has an off day this is going to be tough for the offense.

In the second game the Yankees have Hiroki Kuroda pitching against Scott Kazmir. Kazmir is a tough left handed pitcher and our right handed bats have struggled, namely Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter. Kuroda has been sharper but has still not been able to emulate his 2013 and 2012 campaigns.

In the third game Vidal Nuno will face off with Jesse Chavez in what could be a huge game for Nuno. Nuno has pitched better lately and much deeper into games than he has but he still does not instill confidence in me when he is on the mound.

It would really be unfortunate for the Yankees to lose all their momentum from the Seattle series this weekend. Maybe since it's Friday the 13th Sonny Gray will pitch like CC Sabathia and we can knock this guy around early.

Charleston Riverdogs Game Recap 6/12


Drive, Stankiewicz Top RiverDogs in Finale
Teddy Stankiewicz's seven shutout frames stymie Charleston, which still wins series 2-1

GREENVILLE, SC - Ground-rule doubles by Michael O'Neill and Dustin Fowler keyed a Charleston RiverDogs comeback attempt, but it came after Teddy Stankiewicz's seven scoreless innings in a 6-3 Greenville Drive victory on Wednesday night at Fluor Field at the West End in South Atlantic League action.
Charleston is now 30-36 but wins this series by a 2-1 margin after victories on Monday and Tuesday. Greenville scored in each of the first five innings and improves to 31-34 while avoiding the sweep.
Early groundouts and a solo home run guided Greenville to a 3-0 lead over the first three innings. A bases-loaded groundout by Kendrick Perkins in the first inning scored Tzu-Wei Lin. In the second, Lin brought in Jordan Weems with a groundout. Carlos Asuaje led off the third with a blast over the left-center field wall, just to the right of Greenville's version of the Green Monster.
The Drive stretched its lead to 5-0 by the end of the fifth inning. Forrestt Allday singled to allow Weems to score another run in the fourth inning. RiverDogs starting pitcher Caleb Smith was replaced during the frame, allowing four runs, four hits, and four walks in 3.1 innings pitched. During the fifth, Jimmy Rider's sacrifice fly plated Aneudis Peralta for a five-run advantage.
Stankiewicz held Charleston at bay as Greenville's offense did its damage. After O'Neill doubled and Fowler reached on an error to open the game, Stankiewicz retired eight RiverDogs batters in a row. When Fowler snapped the streak with a single in the third inning, Stankiewicz set down the final 13 RiverDogs that he faced. He struck out six and allowed just two hits with no walks over a career-best seven innings pitched.
Mario Alcantara replaced Stankiewicz in the eighth and extended the streak to 15 straight outs until the RiverDogs sliced the lead to 5-2. The streak ended on a two-out double from Gosuke Katoh. O'Neill drove in Katoh with a ground-rule double that canceled out the shutout bid. Fowler's own ground-rule double scored O'Neill.
Greenville answered Charleston with a run in its half of the eighth for a 6-2 advantage. Rider began the inning by reaching on an error. With one out and the bases loaded, Lin hit a sacrifice fly to score Rider as a late insurance run.
The RiverDogs added one more run in the ninth but fell short. Reymond Nunez doubled off the top of the center field wall and reached third base during a groundout by Jackson Valera. Nunez scored on a John Murphy sacrifice fly before the game ended with a strikeout.
Stankiewicz earned the win and is now 5-4 this season. Smith dropped to 4-6 in a loss.
COMING UP: Charleston stays on the road to start a four-game series at the Lexington Legends on Thursday at 7:05pm. RiverDogs RHP Brady Lail (7-3, 3.82 ERA) is scheduled to pitch against Legends LHP Matt Tenuta (2-6, 5.46 ERA). The RiverDogs will return to Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park for the start of the second half. On Thursday, June 19, Charleston will host the Minor League Baseball Game of the Week on CBS Sports Network against the Kannapolis Intimidators on another BudweiserThirsty Thursday, presented by 95SX, with $1 drafts and DJ Natty Heavy. 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

Whitley's Second Straight Gem Helps Yankees Complete Seattle Sweep

After watching them go 1-for-17 with RISP in Sunday's loss to the Royals, you could make a strong argument that the Yankees sweeping the Mariners was unlikely.

The Bombers, who had lost 3 of 10 going into Tuesday's opener, were just 31-31 on the season, on the brink of really falling behind in the Wild Card standings. 

Fortunetaly, that didn't happen, as the Yanks completed a surprising three-game sweep tonight with a 6-3 win.

While games never end in the first inning, the momentum sure was claimed early on in this one, as Jacoby Ellsbury, the third hitter of the night, took Roenis Elias (3.1 IP, 6 ER) deep in the opening frame to give the Pinstripes a 2-0 lead. 

That advantage would be added onto in the top of the third, when Alfonso Soriano, playing for the first time since Saturday, drove in a pair with a line-drive double.

Overall, Soriano would go just 1-for-5 with three strikeouts in the contest, although that one knock was definitely appreciated.

Later on in the fourth, Derek Jeter (3-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, Walk) singled home another duo, giving the Yankees a 6-1 lead and really breaking the game open.

All that support was more than enough for Starter Chase Whitley, who again proved he's worth a spot on the roster.

The youngster, coming off his first career W Saturday, tossed another 7.2 innings of two-run ball tonight, improving his record to 2-0 and the team's in his outings to 6-1.

During the start, Whitley was helped out by a couple of catches at the wall from Ellsbury and Gardner, although he did still pitch pretty well, surrendering just 5 hits and no walks.

In the bottom of the ninth, in nice-to-see-you fashion, Shawn Kelley finally returned to the field, giving up three hard hit balls and a run during his 1/3 of a frame appearance.

Because of his struggles, the Bombers were forced to use Closer David Robertson, who struck out the only two men he faced for his 16th save of the season.

At first look, the fact that Robertson threw this evening might make you think that he'll be unavailable tomorrow, although that's probably not true, as #30 did get the job done on just 8 pitches. 

In other words, while Kelley's problems were frustrating, they still shouldn't have any effect on the Yankees past tonight, something he's probably breathing a sigh of relief for. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 6/13


On this day in 1921 Babe Ruth pitched the first five innings in a 11-8 victory over the Detroit Tigers for the first and only time this season. Ruth also hit two home runs in a season in which he broke his own major league record for home runs in a single season with 59. This would be the last time Ruth would pitch for the Yankees this season.


On this day in 1948 the Yankees held Babe Ruth Day on the silver anniversary. Members of the 1923 team, his first team he played with in Yankee Stadium, and 49,641 fans sang Auld Lang Syne to Ruth. The #3 uniform was retired and immediately sent to Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame.


On this day in 1994 Don Mattingly passed Yankees first baseman Wally Pipp for consecutive games played in a Yankees uniform. Mattingly played in 1,469 straight games and is only second to the Iron Horse Lou Gehrig and his 2,130 straight games.

O
n this day in 2001 the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Enrique Wilson and his .186 average to the Yankees for relief pitcher Damaso Marte and his 3-1 record and 2.50 ERA. The rest is history, although a right would be wronged in 2009.


On this day in 2003 the Yankees Roger Clemens finally got his 300th victory of his career throwing 6.2 innings pitched in a win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The 40 year old Clemens would become only the 21st pitcher to ever win 300 games and the first since 1990. Clemens also got his 4,000th strikeout of his career joining Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136) as the only two members of the 4,000 strike out club.