Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 5/31


On this final day of May and the day after the United States celebrated their own on Memorial Day the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays face off head-to-head in the middle game of their three game set inside the great land of Canada. Inside the Rogers Centre the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound looking to continue his amazing comeback campaign while the Blue Jays will counter with JA Happ for their squad. The game will be played at 7:07 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network locally and MLB TV anywhere!

The Yankees are getting closer and closer to coming home to Yankee Stadium, HOPE Week and Old Timers Day so to get your tickets now for any of those big events I suggest clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog now rather than later. By clicking you can snag your tickets for these big events without paying any sort of fees or shipping fees on your purchase. Until then follow along on Twitter and interact with us during the game by giving @GreedyStripes a follow.

Go get em big CC. Go Yankees!

Dustin Ackley to Miss 2016 Season w/ Shoulder Surgery

Now what? Is it finally Robert Refsnyder time? Stay tuned.

Dairon Blanco: The Latest Cuban to Defect That New York Won't Sign


The New York Yankees have been reluctant to sign big named and high cost talent out of the Cuban market for whatever reason despite the recent successes of multiple defectors in the Major Leagues of late. For this reason you can't really blame me for my pessimism every time a "can't miss" Cuban star defects from their native island country with the hopes of reaching the United States and the Major Leagues. The latest can't miss guy to leave the Castro regime is outfielder Dairon Blanco.

Blanco is just 23-years old so he will fall within the international signing rules and restrictions set forth by the league whenever they deem him to be eligible to sign as a free agent. Blanco is a speed demon, Ben Badler of Baseball America gave him an 80-grade on his speed recently, that played center field in the Serie Nacional and could also do so in the Major Leagues with some work. Obviously, like most Cuban stars, Blanco comes as a work in progress that needs a little work, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

His bat seems to hold it's own which may be evident by his Serie Nacional career .303/.369/.409 triple slash with 52 steals in four seasons. Blanco doesn't strike out a ton and is a high average hitter with speed which almost every team can find a spot for on their roster that isn't in dire need of power as well.

Obviously Blanco won't be approved to be signed before the international signing period ends on July 2nd but he could absolutely be in play for the next round of signings. The Yankees are under spending restrictions for one more signing period after this one meaning unless Blanco wants to sign for $300K or less he won't be coming to the Bronx unfortunately. Shocker there.

The Cubs Reportedly Interested in Nathan Eovaldi


The MLB trading deadline has been pushed back from July 31st to August 1st which on paper means very little but in the general aspect of the game a day could make all the difference. It could mean all the difference not to a team like the Chicago Cubs whose ticket may already be unofficially punched to the postseason in 2016 but it may make a huge difference for a fringe team like the New York Yankees. Just one day, and we've seen ti in years past with other teams, could make the difference between buying at the August 1st trade deadline and selling and if the Yankees are doing the latter the Chicago Cubs may be listening. According to Julie DiCaro who is a writer and anchor for the Cubs in various media outlets and forms the Chicago Cubs have already begun calling around looking for pitching and especially have their eye on Yankees stud Nathan Eovaldi.

Now while I usually ignore "sources" tweets unless it's from someone like a Jon Heyman or a Buster Olney I figured the blue check on Julie's Twitter account counted enough to post this. While I post this it does not mean I believe that the rumors are true, I know no more than you, so I leave it with you with a grain of salt. Believe it or don't believe it, I'm not doing that I am merely reporting the news.

I don't know the state of the Cubs farm system or their strengths and needs but everyone needs more pitching, especially pitching that is young and under team control for one more season. Would the Cubs give up a lot for Eovaldi? Would New York receive any Major League caliber talent like Jorge Soler, which yes I understand does not help the team but could preface another trade like one involving Carlos Beltran or Brett Gardner, in return for Soler? I honestly don't know.

I'm not even sure if the Yankees and Cubs will hook up with a deal or whether the rumor is true or not. I'm trying to be responsible and I'm simply reporting the news. What say you? Leave your thoughts below in the comments section.


Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 5/31


On this final day of May the New York Yankees find themselves in unfamiliar territory. They seem to be already out of it in the AL East Division race, although a lot can change between now and even August 1st let alone September 1st, but thanks to the addition of a 2nd Wild Card in both leagues the team is still within striking distance of a playoff position. The best advice you can give to the team right now is to take one game at a time and one series at a time and win more times than not. That begins and continues tonight as the Yankees face off with the Toronto Blue Jays in the middle game of their three-game set. New York will send the suddenly revitalized CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with the Jays starter JA Happ.

Sabathia has pitched extremely well this season and thanks to a pair of unearned runs in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays the Yankees veteran has seen his ERA dip below 3.00. Sabathia scattered two hits and a walk the last time he faced this season while striking out seven and will look for similar results tonight in Toronto. 


Happ has pitched at least seven innings while allowing three hits or less in each of his last two starts including one against the New York Yankees. Happ beat the Yankees last time out inside Yankee Stadium so New York will look to turn the tides tonight in Toronto. 


The game will be played at 7:07 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Happ is quietly becoming a Yankees killer isn't he? His stats lately against the club have been great if you're a Jays fan so hopefully the Yankees can turn that around a bit tonight while visiting our neighbors from the north. Go Yankees, eh?

Pineda Makes Start on Thursday, Why?


The New York Yankees have an odd way of going about things in my opinion when it comes to roster management and such. The Yankees will seemingly, and this is my opinion as a lifelong fan and as someone who watches almost every single game every single season, call up a young guy and wait on him to fail while they sign a veteran that stinks up the joint and keeps his job. Luis Severino is down and will likely stay down once he's healthy, my speculation as nothing has been confirmed, yet Michael Pineda (who has a minor league option remaining) and his almost 7.00 ERA will make his next scheduled start on Thursday against Toronto. Why?

Pineda has the worst ERA in all of Major League Baseball among qualified starters. The worst. Worse than Luis Severino and much worse than the whipping boy of the rotation heading into the season in Mr. CC Sabathia. The real answer to the question is this though, who would the Yankees call up to replace him?

Sure I realize that any of Luis Cessa, Chad Green, Brady Lail, Severino (who threw three scoreless innings in his first rehab start since a triceps injury), Layne Somsen, Anthony Swarzak or others could go out and post a 7.00 ERA or lower and technically make the Yankees better there are a few saving graces for Mr. Pineda. Pineda is actually striking out 10.0 batters per nine innings and his velocity is sitting right around where it always has been throughout his career. Pineda seems healthy he just needs to get out of his own way.

How does one get out of their own way? Trust Brian McCann and throw what he calls. Something is not right with Pineda. Usually a control freak, literally and figuratively, Pineda is walking 2.5 batters per nine this season while walking just 0.8 and 1.2 batters per nine in his previous two seasons in New York. Limiting base runners makes his 1.9 HR/9 ratio look a little better as well as that ugly 6.92 ERA.

So why won't the Yankees demote Pineda to figure it out in the minor leagues? Because they can't. They should, but they can't.

Weekly Check In: Nick Swisher


Truth be told this may be the last time we check in with Nick Swisher because what's the point? The sole reason the New York Yankees signed Nick Swisher to a minor league deal this winter was to have a fresh body down in Triple-A just in case of an injury to Mark Teixeira. Well guess what, Teixeira has missed games due to neck pains and spasms twice now already this season and yet Swisher is still toiling around in Scranton with the RailRiders.

So if you sign a guy for insurance in case of an injury and you get said injury, twice mind you, and you don't call him up.... what's the point? And I'm not saying his production has warranted the call up, especially lately, but still. Even Dustin Ackley is hurt. Oh well maybe one last time let's check in with the man they call "Swish."

Year Age Lg G PA R H 2B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
2016 35 AAA 33 137 8 32 4 4 13 0 4 34 .244 .263 .366 .629

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/31: The Curse of the Drilled Bambino


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.


Also 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.

Monday, May 30, 2016

Estrada Leads Jays to Memorial Day Win Over Yanks, 4-2

      First off, Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be free. Tonight, the Yankees and Blue Jays squared off in game one of three in Toronto. The 2-2 Marco Estrada took the mound for the Blue Jays, keeping Yankee hitters off-balance all night long with his A+ change up. Ivan Nova and his 3.55 ERA took the ball against the 26-26 Blue Jays. Although he has done a good job since joining the rotation, Nova was pitching against one of the best lineups from top to bottom that he will face all season, and they got to him early and often.
     Nova found himself in hot water pretty much from the word go. With one out in the bottom of the first, Josh Donaldson lined a single and scored when the cleanup hitter Edwin Encarnacion ripped a double to left that gave the Jays an early one run lead. Nova needed 27 pitches to get through the first, and found himself in even more trouble in the bottom of the third.  Nova gave up a lead off double to the light-hitting Ryan Goings(10 for his last 92) and followed that up with a walk to Jose Bautista. After Donaldson grounded out to advance both runners up a base, Edwin Encarnacion would bite him for a second time, this time driving in Goings by grounding out to Gregorius, 2-0 Toronto. And then Michael Saunders drove in Jose Bautista when he doubled to center, extending the lead to three. Two innings later, Goings touched up Nova for a solo shot to left, 4-0 Blue Jays. Nova was pulled with one on and no one out in the seventh, departing with a final line of  six innings pitched, allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking one.
     Marco Estrada, on the other hand was again tremendous against the Yanks, tossing eight shut out innings, while allowing just three hits and striking out six. Left- hander Aaron Loup came on in relief to pitch the ninth and immediately made things interesting. After drilling Carlos Beltran in the foot with a slider, Brian McCann hit a towering blast over the wall in center. ricocheting off the façade of the restaurant in centerfield, pulling the Yankees within two, 4-2. Toronto manager John Gibbons lifted Loup for Drew Storen, who shut the door on the Yankee come back hopes by striking out Chase Headley to end the game. One positive note to take away from tonight's loss is that New York got three shut out innings from two relievers not named Betances, Miller or Chapman, making No-Run DMC available for the next two nights.
     Look for the Yankees to bounce back tomorrow night in game two, with first pitch scheduled for 7:07 PM ET.

   

Memorial Day Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 5/30


The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays are spending Memorial Day in the land of our neighbors from the north as they prepare for the first game in their three-game set. In the contest the Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound looking to solidify his spot in the starting rotation while the Blue Jays will counter with Marco Estrada. The game will be played at 7:07 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV.

I'm still hanging with my buddy from the Navy and slamming down hot dogs like my name was Babe Ruth so let's get to the game. Happy Memorial Day everyone and Go Yankees!

ICYMY: Don't Talk Trash If You Don't Know Who Is Listening

By Eliot Podgorsky SEEN HERE:

Spoiler Alert: This is the story of how I met David Ortiz.

On May 3rd, I received an unexpected Twitter notification "Buffalo Wild Wings has followed you." Pretty cool I thought to myself, I even told some friends about it proclaiming I was "Twitter Famous." A few minutes after I received a direct message the gist of the message was that they saw by my tweets I was a big Yankees fan, and they were interviewing fans for a video, if I was interested, I should contact the producer.

I immediately called the producer, and we talked about my fandom, my thoughts on Boston, David Ortiz and I obviously mentioned that I write for The Greedy Pinstripes. The producer said that she'd let me know in a couple of days. I received an email the next day that they would like to interview me if I was available and provided me with an address and time, I gleefully accepted.

I'm going to take a quick tangent (it's important to the story). I have the Friday Night Package for the Yankees. On Friday, May 6th the Yankees beat the Red Sox 3-2. This was the game that David Ortiz went on a tirade against the umpire. I was in section 420B booing as loud as I could with my friend Sean. Tangent over, back to the story.

After work in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 6th, I headed up to the Bronx for the interview. I met with the producer and one by one we were summoned to the interview area. The director mentioned that the first portion would be about how I became a fan of New York baseball. For trademark purposes, I couldn't say Yankees. I talked about how my father and grandfather would take me to games, how my favorite moment was being at game 7 of the 2003 ALCS and generally all the things that make my heart warm and fuzzy. I headed back to the staging area; a few more fans came in, and I waited my turn for the next segment.

The next segment was in pairs, my friend Matt (who came as a guest and ended up in the video) and I were escorted to the table by an actual waitress this time. We briefly chatted with her for the camera and then the director told us this segment he would be asking about our thoughts on Boston. I talked about how I loved the city and enjoyed the history of Fenway Park. They asked my friend and me about our least favorite player; my friend said David Ortiz and I went with Kevin Youkilis. I talked about hating his goatee and his batting stance. After some prodding from the director on Ortiz, I thought to myself "if you want a sound bite I'll give you a sound bite" and went off on how I felt about his attitude and how he shows up everyone with his swagger.

At this point, I hear someone say "So you don't like my attitude?" I looked up, and it took me a moment to realize it was David Ortiz, this is when I said "Holy Shit."At this point I refer to the tangent, I thought angry Ortiz was coming after me, I truly did. Only after seeing the smile on his face to my reaction did I somewhat gain my composure. I then got to spend a few minutes speaking to Ortiz about how he kills the Yankees, how Dustin Pedroia is only a few inches taller than me and how he was a Yankees fan growing up because that is all they knew in the Dominican Republic. Ortiz thanked us for coming out and then we waited behind the camera crew as other fans interacted with him. Getting to see the reactions of the five other fans was humorous to watch. I think it is awesome that my entire segment ended up being shown in the video.

The last part was how we felt about meeting Ortiz and if our opinion had changed on him. Honestly, mine has. He was a nice to all of us especially after he had to listen to us talk trash about him. Bonus, I got a $25 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings. I think I'll save it for the next time the Yankees play the Red Sox... You can watch the video below.

Most Popular Article of the Week: Do the Cubs and Yankees Matchup in a Trade?


The New York Yankees have clawed from the basement and the cellar of the American League East and while the team is still far behind the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles in the division a playoff spot is not completely out of the question. Now if the Yankees played in the National League Central where the Chicago Cubs rule the land right now that may be a different story which got me to thinking would the Cubs and Yankees make good trade partners? Both if the Yankees fall out of playoff contention or if they stay in it you would have to think either way the answer is yes. Right?


If the Yankees fall out of contention they have a lot that they could offer to a team stockpiled with talent and prospects. The Chicago Cubs are the same team that was ready to put Kyle Schwarber in left field despite defensive concerns simply to get his bat into the lineup, you don’t think Chicago would take a rental of Carlos Beltran (assuming he accepts and waives his no trade clause) if the price was right? You don’t think Chicago would jump at the opportunity to acquire one or both of Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller? I sue do.


If the Yankees continue to compete can they hook up in a trade as well? I don’t see why not but it obviously becomes far less likely. The Yankees still have a ton of outfield depth, Mason Williams should be back to join a stable of outfielders including, but not limited to, Slade Heathcott, Ben Gamel, Jake Cave and others, and they should be better equipped in the bullpen depth department as well. In this case the deals would be smaller and likely only involve Cubs prospects but a trade could be struck nonetheless in my opinion.


I don’t pretend to be a Cubs expert nor do I know a whole lot about their system and their needs and strengths but I believe a deal could be struck between these two teams at some point. They already have a working partnership and have made trades in the recent past so why not? We just have to wait and see how the cookie crumbles before we define what kind of trade this will be for the New York Yankees because it looks like either way the Cubs are going for it in 2016.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 5/30


It almost seems un-American to have the New York Yankees anywhere but in the Bronx for holidays such as Memorial Day and Independence Day and it especially seems like a slap in the face to 'Merica to have the greatest and most recognizable MLB team outside of the country, doesn't it? I'm over-exaggerating a bit and I realize that but I just wonder if the MLB schedule makers keep this stuff in mind when they make out the schedule or is this simply another instance where computers have taken over the world thus making us unable to think for ourselves. I digress though as we have a game tonight with the Toronto Blue Jays inside the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. In the contest the Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound to face off with a pitcher who shut them down last time out in Marco Estrada.

Nova's job seems safer than ever in the Yankees rotation after another great start last time out. Nova started the season in the Yankees bullpen but since a CC Sabathia injury shot him back into the rotation the right-hander has made the most of his opportunity in a contract year far exceeding both Michael Pineda and Luis Severino this season.

Estrada last faced the Yankees on Wednesday in his last start and allowed just three runs over seven innings of work in a Blue Jays victory. The Yankees will look to turn that around tonight and get a Memorial Day victory against our neighbors from the north. 


The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. Let's show these Canadian's how the game of baseball, America's game, is played. Eh? Go Yankees!

Happy Memorial Day from The Greedy Pinstripes


What is Memorial Day? Memorial Day to some means the day off paid, barbecues and hang outs with friends but to others it means so much more. To some it means the one day that their families and their serviceman and women get the recognition and respect that they so much deserve. This Memorial Day hits home for me especially because one of my very best friends has recently joined the Navy. This is his first Memorial Day and thankfully he got to come home, announce that his new wife is pregnant and surprise his family and friends with a visit. It won't always be like this and I am grateful that it was this year.

So shake a veteran's hand and thank them for everything that they and their family do. Unless you've lived through it you will never truly understand. So a big thank you to the veterans that are reading this and their families and a very big thank you to our very own patrick (always with a little p) Walsh and Ken Reed (and anyone else that frequents the site that I was unaware served or that slipped my mind. I appreciate you, have the utmost respect for you and love you all.

Enjoy the day but just remember why we have it. Thank you.

Weekly Check In: Johnny Barbato


Johnny Barbato made the New York Yankees out of spring training this year and pitched so well out of Joe Girardi's bullpen that he was donned the Yankees "secret weapon" by certain members of the media that cover the Yankees. A few rocky appearances later, rather than being given a long enough leash to figure it out at the Major League level like every other team would allow, Barbato was sent back down to Triple-A to "find his slider."

Has Barbato found it? Let's see.

Year Age Lg W L ERA G GF IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9
2016 23 AAA 0 0 1.12 5 2 8.0 5 2 1 0 4 6 1.125 5.6 0.0 4.5 6.8
2016 23 AL 1 2 5.54 12 5 13.0 10 8 8 2 4 15 77 4.19 1.077 6.9 1.4 2.8 10.4

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/30: A Rod in the Middle of a Controversy


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.


Also on this day in 2001 when the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry was possibly at its 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.


Also 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.


Also 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.


Also 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.


Also 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.


Also 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?


Finally 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.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Andy Pettitte to Represent Yankees in 2016 Draft


The MLB First Year Players Draft is right at two weeks away now, less actually, and the rosters of former players, Hall of Fame players and prospect guru's are in. Every team will send two representatives to the MLB Network studio to represent their team and the Yankees representatives will be Andy Pettitte and Mike Thurman.

The Draft will go down on Thursday, June 9th at 7:00 pm ET and it can be seen on MLB Network. See below for the complete team and representative list courtesy of MLB.com:


Weekly Prospects Check In: Eric Ruth


One can never have too much starting pitching whether it be in the Major Leagues or down on the farm and the Yankees have been utilizing that philosophy for the past few years in the MLB Draft. One of those guys that the Yankees have drafted without much fan fair or recognition only to turn him into a solid MiLB producer and potential MLB player is Eric Ruth. At one point maybe two seasons ago Ruth was considered by man to be an organizational filler and an organizational prospect but not parts of two seasons later Ruth has put his name back on the map for the Yankees.

Ruth continues to impress and has reached the highest tier of MiLB, Triple-A. Ruth is one phone call away from the Bronx and if anyone doubts that, ask Conor Mullee. Ruth may see the Major Leagues this season and that is exciting, especially if you love baseball feel-good stories.

YearAgeLevWLERAGGSIPHRERHRBBSOWHIPH9HR9BB9SO9
201625AAA-A+-AA414.349437.136181809381.2058.70.02.29.2
201625A+106.394012.2149903131.3429.90.02.19.2
201625AA114.913211.0126604131.4559.80.03.310.6
201625AAA201.982213.2103302120.8786.60.01.37.9

Castro Lifts Yankees to Series Win, 2-1

      The Yankees and Rays squared off today in the third and final game of the series in Tampa. Nathan Eovaldi took the ball for the Pinstripers this afternoon in hopes of taking the rubber game despite Pineda's garbage outting yesterday. Nasty Nate has been dealing lately, going 5-0 with a 2.92 ERA in his last six, and 5-2 with a 3.95 ERA overall this season. Tampa Bay sent right-hander Jake Odorizzi to the bump to oppose New York, who's 2-2 in ten starts, with a 3.46 ERA in 2016. He has struggled against the Yankees early in his career, having lost three times to them just last season. But you would not have known that if you watch today, as both starters were phenomenal today and this quick and close contest.
     The two out RBI hit by the opposition has been a problem throughout the season and reared its ugly head again today. With two outs in the bottom of the third, Evan Longoria fought off a 98-mph fastball by Eovaldi, dumping it into right for a single that scored Brandon Guyer and gave the Rays a one run lead. That one run would seem a lot larger than it's minimal value, however, because Odorizzi was dealing.
     The Rays righty Odorizzi was dominant all afternoon, tossing a perfect game through the first five innings. In fact, he had only four three-ball counts through the first six frames. The fourth three-ball count concluded when Dustin Ackley hit a sharp ground ball to short, where Brad Miller bobbled it and threw the ball in the dirt to Logan Morrison, allowing Ackley to reach base as the first baserunner of the ballgame for New York. Odorizzi didn't even allow his first hit of the game until the top of the seventh. After walking Gardner with one out, Odorizzi served up an absolute bomb to Starlin Castro that was not only the first hit for New York, but also gave up the shut out and the lead as well.
     With the Yankees taking a 2-1 lead in the seventh, Girardi was able to deploy No-Run DMC in relief of Eovaldi, who was again phenomenal, leaving with a final line of 6 IP, 1 ER, 2 BBs and 7 K's. Delin showed why he leads all of MLB relievers in strikeouts, fanning a pair in a scoreless seventh inning of work. Miller followed suit by striking out the side in the eighth, and Chapman collected his seventh consecutive save as he fanned two Rays to close out the series win. Seven of the Final nine hitters of the game went down via the strikeout. In fact, with the win today, the Yankees are 19-1 when leading after six innings.
      Tomorrow, the Yankees hit the road for a three game set in Toronto against the rival Blue Jays, with first pitch scheduled for 7:07 PM/ET.

Live Game Updates: Yankees at Rays - 5/29

1:46 p.m., End 2nd: A great defensive play by Ronald Torreyes keeps it tied after two. Yankees still looking for their first baserunner. 

2:07 p.m., Mid 4th: That's 12 up, 12 down so far for the Yankees. It's 1-0 Rays.

2:36 p.m., End 5th: That could've been bad. Evan Longoria just misses a three-run home run -- flying out to the warning track in right -- as the Rays fail to add on. It's still 1-0.

2:47 p.m., Mid 6th: Yankees finally break-up the perfecto on a controversial error. Looked like an infield single, but officialy, the no-hitter is still going. 

3:18 p.m., Mid 7th: Starlin Castro drills a two-run shot to left-center, and just like that, we have a brand new ballgame: Yankees still have just one hit, but at least they lead 2-1.

3:28 p.m., End 7th: Dellin Betances strikes out two in a 1-2-3 seventh. Yankees now six outs away from a series win. 

3:59 p.m., End 9th: That's your ballgame. Aroldis Chapman fans two in the ninth and the Yankees, despite getting just one hit, beat the Rays 2-1.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 5/29


What better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon on a holiday weekend than on the couch in front of the air conditioner watching the New York Yankees. Well I'm sure there are better ways to spend it truth be told but we keep things PG here and we're Yankees-centric so we'll go with that. In the finale of the three-game set between these two clubs this afternoon the Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to face off with Jake Odorizzi for the Rays. The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11, MLB Network and MLB TV.

Follow along with us all season long by giving us a follow on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, or by finding us on Facebook. We're not one to put our work out there and ignore you when you agree, disagree or have a question. We're social and we're on social media, interact with us.

I love watching Nathan Eovaldi pitch so I'm going to get off here and go watch hopefully another Yankees win this series. Go Yankees!

Yankees Release Old Timers Day Roster 2016


The New York Yankees are set to host their 70th annual Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium later this season and will likely once again put on a show like no other organization can. Every year the fans sit and wait for the roster to be released but I feel like that may be even more so lately with the retirement of the Core Four plus Bernie Williams. Well none of the official Core Four will be attending this year's contest but Williams will be along with five Hall of Fame players and 49 other widows or former members of the New York Yankees.

The game will be held at Yankee Stadium, the eighth time the new stadium is playing host to the tradition, on June 12th and fans are asked to be in their seats by 11:30 am that morning.

Here is the list provided by Yankees.com:

  • Jesse Barfield
  • Brian Boehringer
  • Scott Bradley
  • Dr. Bobby Brown
  • Homer Bush
  • David Cone
  • Bubba Crosby
  • Bucky Dent
  • Al Downing
  • Brian Doyle
  • Mariano Duncan
  • John Flaherty
  • Whitey Ford
  • Oscar Gamble
  • Joe Girardi
  • Rich "Goose" Gossage
  • Ron Guidry
  • Charlie Hayes
  • Rickey Henderson
  • Arlene Howard (widow)
  • Helen Hunter (widow)
  • Reggie Jackson
  • Scott Kamieniecki
  • Pat Kelly
  • Don Larsen
  • Graeme Lloyd
  • Hector Lopez
  • Jill Martin (widow)
  • Hideki Matsui
  • Lee Mazzilli
  • Ramiro Mendoza
  • Stump Merrill
  • Gene "Stick" Michael
  • Gene Monahan (Trainer)
  • Diana Munson (widow)
  • Kay Murcer (widow)
  • Jeff Nelson
  • Paul O'Neill
  • Joe Pepitone
  • Lou Piniella
  • Willie Randolph
  • Mickey Rivers
  • Eddie Robinson
  • Tanyon Sturtze
  • Ralph Terry
  • Marcus Thames
  • Joe Torre
  • John Wetteland
  • Roy White
  • Bernie Williams

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 5/29


The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are set to finish off their three-game set this afternoon with the finale of the set inside of Tropicana Field. We have watched this weekend as both teams have sent their best pitchers according to the depth chart out to the mound and today we see the final matchup between the two clubs. In the finale the Yankees will send possibly their best pitcher to the mound statistically in Nathan Eovaldi to face off with a thorn in the Yankees side over the past few seasons in Jake Odorizzi for the Rays.

Eovaldi has been absolutely filthy in his last four starts posting a meager 2.16 ERA in that span. Eovaldi has finally added and harnessed the splitter that he worked on all of last season and has had great success with it limiting his hits and striking out more batters than ever. Sure he still throws too many pitches but one thing at a time.


Odorizzi had a rough start to judge last time out against the Miami Marlins. Odorizzi did not allow a run in his five innings of work but it took him well over 100 pitches to get there thus leaving a load of outs to get for a shaky Rays bullpen.If the Rays want to win they have to be carried by the starting pitching so the Yankees need to be patient and make Jake throw a lot of pitches this afternoon if they want to win.


The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET inside of Tropicana Field and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11, MLB Network and MLB TV. Can Nathan keep Eovalving and continue his recent stretch of dominating performances or will Evan Longoria and the Rays offense get the best of the man some compared to a young Nolan Ryan on this very site? Stay tuned and Go Yankees!

Weekly Prospects Check In: Ian Clarkin


Domingo Acevedo is said to be progressing well from his lower body injury according to Gary Denbo but he is not quite ready to rejoin the Yankees staff just yet. Until then we will continue to check in with other Yankees prospects around the farm including today's showcase player, Ian Clarkin. Clarkin came to the Yankees organization with a lot of controversy and even more projections, talents and raw stuff and thus far in 2016 he may be finally putting all of that together into one large lump sum.

The numbers are not dominating for Clarkin while in Tampa which may be a little discouraging on paper but he is getting his work in and he's staying healthy. After missing the entire 2015 regular season that matters more than a low ERA and FIP with high strikeout totals.

Year Age Tm W L ERA G GS CG IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9
2016 21 Tampa 3 4 4.07 9 9 1 48.2 57 24 22 1 13 33 1.438 10.5 0.2 2.4 6.1