Thursday, May 5, 2016

Yanks Lose Heartbreaker To O's In Extras, 1-0

     Trying to win their first series in the month of May, the Yankees  faced off against the Orioles in the rubber game of their three-game series at Camden Yards. Far and away the best starter for the Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka and his 1-0 record took the mound for New York. The Orioles sent right-hander Kevin Gausman to the bump, looking to win his first game of the season. In a game that saw a manager ejected, a phenomenal pitchers duel would prove to be the story of the night.
     The first real drama of the game unfolded in the top of the fourth inning when manager Joe Girardi was ejected from the game. With Starlin Castro on third base after leading off the inning with a double, a fired up Girardi was seen barking at both the home and third-base umpires, apparently over a missed balk call. When you're team is struggling to score runs, a balk with a runner on third base means a run, and Joe was clearly and justifiably not pleased with the lack of acknowledgment from the umpiring staff. Robby Thompson took over as manager for the duration of the game
     As previously stated, both pitchers were remarkable through the first eight innings of the game. Tanaka only allowed five hits, while striking out seven batters over a brilliant eight shutout innings. Similarly, young Gausman only allowed three hits to the Yankee offense over eight scoreless innings of work, where he, after giving up the double to Castro in the fourth, retired 14 out of 15 straight batters.
     The Yankees did have a chance to score in the top of the ninth inning against Oriole closer Zack Britton. Starlin Castro found himself at second base with two outs and the number three hitter Brian McCann at the plate. In an absolutely bone-headed play, trying to get too large of a secondary lead, Castro was picked off of second base by the catcher Matt Wieters. The game was forced into extra innings when Dustin Ackley, making his first start of the season in left field, heroically stole a walkoff homerun by Matt Wieters, doubling off Joey Ricard, who was unable to get back to first base.
     In the bottom of the tenth, Johnny Barbado allowed an infield single to Hyun Soo Kim, who immediately advanced to third on a Jonathan Schoop single. With left-handed hitting Pedro Alvarez due up, the Yankees sent Andrew Miller into the game to try and save the day. The big lefty, however, was unsuccessful as he served up a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Kim as the only run of the night to be scored.
     After getting such a remarkable starting pitching performance from their ace, the Yankees bats once again could not get the job done. Let's hope this is not a sign of things to come, as New York embarks on a very important homestand, beginning with hosting the Red Sox tomorrow night at 7:05 PM ET.

Live Game Updates: Yankees at Orioles - 5/5

7:34 p.m., End 2nd: Nothing much happening in the first two frames. Still scoreless early on.

8:02 p.m., Mid 4th: Yankees waste a lead-off double from Castro in the fourth. Still 0-0. 

8:12 p.m., End 4th: Girardi gets tossed arguing what he thought was a balk between innings, and then Tanaka puts up another zero. Both teams continue their quest to get on the board. 

8:57 p.m., End 7th: Still no score in Baltimore and with the way both teams look at the plate right now that could last a lot longer. 

9:38 p.m., End 9th: Dustin Ackley makes an amazing catch at the wall to likely rob Matt Weiters of a walk-off double in the ninth. It ends up a double play as Betances escapes trouble.

9:49 p.m., Mid 10th: Yankees strand the go-ahead run on second in the 10th. 

10:10 p.m., Final/10: Orioles 1, Yankes 0.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 5/5


The fans are still piling into the stadium down in Baltimore as the finale of the three-game set between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees is set to get underway here in about five minutes. In the finale the Yankees will send their ace and their stopper to the mound in Masahiro Tanaka desperate for a victory while the Orioles will counter with a traditional Yankees killer Kevin Gausman. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees return home to the Bronx tomorrow to host the Boston Red Sox inside of Yankee Stadium and if you want to be there to see it live click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog. The link will send you to our friends over at Ticket Monster and there you can snag a pair of Yankees tickets for this weekend’s series or any series this season without having all those bulky fees and annoying shipping costs associated with the cost. Plus it supports the team and the blog so you can feel good about doing your part. If you can’t make it out to the ball park then follow along on Twitter by giving @GreedyStripes a follow. We try to live tweet each and every Yankees game and will continue to do so for the remainder of this season.


Without further ado I present to you the latest in the Yankees vs. Orioles rivalry. Go Yankees!

Former Yankees Updates & MLB History


A few former Yankees made a little bit of history this week so we felt like they needed to be talked about here on the blog. I’m sure you guys get tired of hearing me rant and rave about all the losing, benching Chase Headley and all that jazz so why not something a little different this afternoon?

Ichiro Suzuki was a Yankees player for two-and-a-half seasons after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners with the intention of milking every dollar they could out of his chase for 3,000 hits in the Major Leagues and his quest for the all-time hits record between the USA and Japan. Ichiro is still yet to hit the magical 3,000 hit plateau but he took another step closer this week with a game-winning single in Miami. Ichiro’s career MLB hit total now stands at 2,947.

I promised history in the thread title and a former Yankees relief pitcher, Caleb Cotham, helped the Cincinnati Reds make history as well this week. This is not the history you want to be remembered for though unfortunately. The Cincinnati reds bullpen set a new MLB record when the team surrendered at least one run in the team’s 21st consecutive game. The man on the mound, Mr. Cotham. For all you trivia and history buffs out there remember the name Kelby Tomlinson as he hit the two-out infield single to score Hunter pence and set the record.


So there you have it. A whole posting without saying Chase Headley sucks! Well, we almost made it anyway. Enjoy the day Yankees family. 

Derek Jeter Trolls Red Sox Fans & I Love It


Hey, when Derek Jeter talks the New York Yankees universe tends to listen so while this isn’t so much “news” per se it’s still worth mentioning here on the blog. Derek Jeter was recently on the television late night show “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and he had an interesting quote that was directed straight towards Red Sox Nation.

In the interview Jeter was quoted as saying:
“I can say this now that I’m retired, but Boston fans have softened up since you guys have won. And it pains me to say it but I almost … I won’t say it. I’m not happy you won, but you treat me a lot better.”
 

Yeah Jeter, that’s not going to be the case for very much longer. I hope Hannah Davis is ready for the heckling and such at restaurants, appearances and in general. You stirred the pot Derek and frankly, I love it. Keep them coming and keep on enjoying retirement.


Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 5/5


One last time this week we will see the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles face off head-to-head inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards. The frustrating season for the Yankees has continued for much of this series but New York has their ace and their stopper on the mound in the finale. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound tonight looking for his second win of the season while the Orioles will counter with Kevin Gausman.

Tanaka is getting stronger with every start this season and enters this start having thrown three consecutive quality starts in his last three starts leading up. Tanaka will look to improve on his 1-1 record and 3.03 ERA in four career starts against the Orioles tonight in Baltimore.

Gausman has pitched well in his career against the New York Yankees pitching to a 2.79 ERA in 11 games, five of them as a starting pitcher, with his 12th game coming tonight. This is going to be a tough matchup for New York but what game hasn’t been this season?

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. The Yankees need a win and their only reliable starting pitcher that has kept them in games to get said victories is on the mound tonight. It’s not a must win but we’re getting closer and closer to that point almost every single day. Score runs and win. It sounds simple but the Yankees have been finding new and inventive ways to not do it thus far this season. Turn this damn ship around and do it now!


Go Yankees!

Swisher Seeks Yankees Chance After Atlanta Release



Following his release from the Atlanta Braves less than a year after the Indians traded him and Michael Bourn for Chris Johnson, Nick Swisher is looking for another opportunity with the Yankees, having spent three years with the team previously. However, having so far only been selected for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Swisher believes it is his time to shine once again for his beloved team.


Since rejoining the Yankees organization, Swisher has been in good form, hitting .357 with three homers, six RBI’s and .863 in 11 games, whilst playing from first base. Now with the Yankees preparing to face off against long standing rivals the Boston Red Sox this weekend, Swisher is determined to earn a chance at right field. Having played their during his four seasons with the Yankees, the thirty five year old firmly believes he can more than do a job there again if called upon. With little to choose between the two teams going into this weekend’s game, the Yankees are 1.83/1 on to secure victory with bookmakers Betway. Visit Betway’s sportsbook for full the full MLB schedule.


Despite the rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox perhaps not being what is was a decade ago, a trip to Fenway Park always attracts much attention from supporters and players alike. Manager Joe Girardi is one man who will certainly be hoping his players rise to the occasion this weekend, with the Yankees in a run of poor form. Having been five years since either side achieved ninety wins in a single season, the Yankees has missed out on the playoffs twice in the past three seasons, while the Red Sox have finished in last place three times in the past four seasons. It is little wonder Betway offer odds of 26/1 and 13/1 respectively for the two sides to win this year’s World Series.



The Red Sox are the form team going into the fixture having won their last four games, while the Yankees find themselves ranked fourteenth in runs scored so far this campaign.



Weekly Check In: Aaron Judge


The New York Yankees offense needs a spark and only one man is big enough to take over the job, literally. His name is Aaron Judge and he is currently toiling in the outfield down in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders.

Judge is a towering figure in the outfield and at the plate but late season struggles in 2015 left a bad taste in some of the mouth’s associated with the Yankees. You could tell it, they didn’t need to release it to the media to make it true. Judge didn’t get a September call up last season and he wasn’t given very much of a shot this spring training to make the team either. Judge has been better this season against advanced minor league pitching but he has yet to show the true dominance that he showed from the MLB Draft to the Trenton Thunder unfortunately.


It’s getting late pretty early so you never know, we may see Judge sooner than we all think. 

YearAgeLevGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
201624AAA23103112673131728.277.320.447.767

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/5: The Yankees in 3D!


On this day in 2010 DirecTV and the YES Network strike a deal to televise the first major league baseball game in three dimensions. The July 10 Safeco Field telecast between the Yankees and Mariners will be available in 3-D in New York, Connecticut, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Montana, and Idaho.

Also on this day in 1955 the musical "Damn Yankees" opens up on Broadway. The comedy set in Washington, D.C. and based off Douglass Wallop's novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, tells the tale of an aging Washington Senators fan's bargain with the devil to stop the Yankees dominance in the 1950's.


Finally on this day in 1930 the New York Yankees traded Cedric Durst to the Boston Red Sox for Red Ruffing. This deal allowed the Red Sox to sell Tom Zachary to the Braves for the waiver price. Boston will never learn.