Live Game Updates: Yankees at Orioles - 6/3

7:28 p.m., Mid 2nd: Nothing doing so far for the Yankees' offense. It's still scoreless at Camden Yards.

7:44 p.m., Mid 3rd: It's now 1-0 Orioles after a Pedro Alvarez RBI single, but importantly, Mark Teixeira is out of the game. The injury is still unknown, but Rob Refsnyder has taken over for the veteran at first base.

8:07 p.m., Mid 4th: Momentum-shift! The Yankees score three in the fourth, courtesy of back-to-back home runs from Carlos Beltran (a two-run shot) and Alex Rodriguez. Now it's up to Eovaldi to throw a shutdown inning.

8:27 p.m., End 4th: Orioles get one back in the fourth on a solo blast by Chris Davis. The Yankees head to the fifth looking add on with their 9, 1, and 2 hitters.

8:40 p.m., Mid 5th: Another inning, another Yankee home run. This time it's from Austin Romine, who starts the fifth with a liner over the left field fence to give the Yanks a 4-2 lead.

9:00 p.m., Mid 6th: Chase Headley continues the Yankees' strong offensive night with an RBI single. It's now 5-2 New York.

Injury Update: It was right knee discomfort that knocked Teixeira out of tonight's game. He's being sent for an MRI.

9:21 p.m., End 6th: O's rally for three runs in the sixth, knocking out Eovaldi. Just like that, we're tied at five. 

10:09 p.m., Mid 9th: Game over. Dellin Betances allows a run in the seventh to break the tie and nothing else happens afterward.

Final Score: Orioles 6, Yankees 5.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 6/3

The New York Yankees can make up some of the ground they have lost in the AL East Division race by beating the teams they are supposed to beat on paper and by beating the teams in front of them. One of those latter teams that currently sit in front of them in the standings is one of the teams the Bronx Bombers face off with head-to-head with tonight, the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees will look to scratch and claw their way out of the cellar of the division tonight when they send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to face off against the Orioles starter Chris Tillman. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees have these three games in Baltimore before returning home to the Bronx to play host to Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of Los Angeles of Orange County of Disney Land. To see any of these games live in the Bronx click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and have your tickets in hand for when the team returns home to the Bronx. Until then follow along and root for the team from afar on Twitter with us by giving @GreedyStripes a follow.

I love watching Nathan Eovaldi pitch so I’m going to get to it. Go Yankees!

The Case For and Against Trading Nathan Eovaldi

If you’re going to trade Carlos Beltran this summer, and we made the case for and against any hypothetical or potential trade earlier today on the blog, then you also have to at least consider trading Nathan Eovaldi as well, right? Eovaldi is one of the few young, tradeable and attractive pieces the Yankees could potentially move this summer but a trade of the man some on this blog nicknamed the “Water Pistol” would come with some haters and some supporters like anything else. In this blog we will look to compile a list of pros and cons to trading Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Eovaldi this summer to see if it ultimately makes sense for the Yankees.

The case for trading Eovaldi:

Teams like the Chicago Cubs have reportedly already talked about acquiring Eovaldi and boy would I like to dip into their deep farm system. 

Eovaldi was also discussed in a trade this winter and I believe the right-hander from Texas could bring a substantial amount back with one-plus years of team control remaining. 

The Yankees aren’t going anywhere in 2017 with a team full of flaws. No matter how good the pitching is you can’t win a game without scoring a run. If Yogi Berra didn’t say that then he should have. 

The case against trading Eovaldi:

The Yankees are in the thick of things in a crowded chase for a second Wild Card spot in the American League. I don’t know about you but I’d rather be in the dance with a chance to catch fire at the right time than sitting on my couch watching in October. 

The Yankees admit defeat and admit they are rebuilding with this trade, something the organization has been seemingly unwilling to do to date. 

Unless New York turns Eovaldi into an absolute haul this makes the trade of Martin Prado, the suffering through of Stephen Drew, and the disrespect of Robert Refsnyder look all that more blatant. 

He’s still young enough to extend and build around when we have a new-look team in 2018 and 2019. 

Eovaldi is signed through 2017. 

I, as a fan, simply don’t want to trade him. 

If there is even a minute chance that the Yankees could make a second half run and get hot heading into the postseason I can’t bring myself to agree to trading Eovaldi. It may make the most sense, truth be told, but my fandom gets in the way of my writing sometimes. If there isn’t a chance this season or next then it makes too much sense not to trade him. I’m torn, what say you?

I Feel Nothing Right Now

It's never really easy to be a Yankees fan, but right now may be the most difficult that I've had to endure.

I really don't think I'm alone, at least among Yankees fans, in saying that I don't want the Yankees to lose. If somebody could make it so the Yankees went the entire season, including the postseason, without losing a game I'd say "HECK YEAH!" Even if that meant that watching each game may not be as fun, since I know the Yankees are going to win. 

I just can't stand losing. Right now I have a really hard time watching the Yankees, not just because they aren't playing well, but because more often than not they're losing. Anybody that knows me would agree that when the Yankees, or any of my favorite teams for that matter, lose I'm not in a good mood the rest of the day/night. 

I guess that's why I tend to be optimistic.

I know that Alex Rodriguez is old, and will likely hurt the team until his contract ends. I know that signing Jacoby Ellsbury through 2020 was stupid, and like Alex he'll likely hurt the team for four more years after this season. But why spend my time watching an ARod or Ellsbury at bat thinking they're going to fail? If I wanted to be miserable while watching something I'd turn on the latest episode of Fuller House instead of the Yankees game.

The point is I can not, in any way, root against the Yankees. Which makes things extremely difficult for me this season. 

Like with ARod and Jacoby, I know that the 2016 Yankees are not a World Series Championship caliber team. Sure, they aren't the last place team in the division, but nobody is going to convince me that a team with the third worst run differential in the American League is going to win the pennant. 

I also know that the Yanks need to make moves to help build themselves for the future. Yes, they have some nice prospects such as Aaron Judge, James Kaprielian, and Jorge Mateo. Unfortunately, even if those three become successful Major Leaguers, the Yankees will need to do more to contend for another title.

And how can they do that? 

Well, fewer and fewer good players are making it to free agency, so the team's financial advantage is worth less than it ever has. And even if their player development was incredible, waiting on future draft picks to get to the big leagues and contribute won't get the job done. So Brian Cashman is going to have to find some good pieces through trade.

Okay, so when is the best time to make a trade? How about after the season is over with? 

No. On the one hand, teams could hold onto their young players and just sign a free agent. On the other hand, Cash would have lost the opportunity to get a nice haul for Aroldis Chapman. Not to mention possibly getting a decent return for somebody like Carlos Beltran, or maybe even Ivan Nova... two more free agents at the end of this season.

So a significant trade will have to happen before the trade deadline. 

But for that to happen the Yankees would have to clearly be out of the running for a postseason spot. With all the money at stake, there's just no way Brian Cashman would deal away a key player like Aroldis, or even Carlos or Ivan, if the team has a shot at the playoffs.

That brings us back to what I was saying at the beginning of this post... the Yankees have to keep losing. And I can not bring myself to root for that to happen. 

So here I am. I'm not delighted about this season, and how the rest of it will likely play out. I'm not yet miserable about this season, either. I'm just... here. 

To be frank... this sucks.

Even worse that this abomination.

Jorge Mateo, Jose Reyes & Further Proof that Brian Cashman is a Moron

The old saying “sometimes the move you don’t make is the best move you can make” or something along those lines have never been truer than with the New York Yankees. The New York Yankees on more than one occasion attempted to trade all of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera and they tried to trade another top Yankees prospect and stud last summer as well. News broke yesterday that Brian Cashman tried, and almost did, trade top prospect and shortstop Jorge Mateo and half of his $22 million in salary to the Colorado Rockies for Jose Reyes.

If you needed further convincing and proof that Brian Cashman should not be running the show here in New York any more than look no further. Now to be truthful if this deal were true, and according to Jon Heyman it is, I can’t see a scenario where Colorado doesn’t immediately take the trade so you would think it was the Yankees that backed out for whatever reason but still. For Mateo to even be mentioned in this deal along with $11 million is ridiculous, Stephen Drew’s struggles or not.

That’s all the Yankees need is another aging veteran who is long past his prime attached to a huge deal that is weighing down the team and the checkbook. Reyes, between Toronto and Colorado, batted just .274/.310/.378 with seven home runs and 24 stolen bases in 2016 which granted was better than Stephen Drew but not worth the organization’s top prospect. By the way, and yes this is comparing apples to oranges, Mateo slashed .278/.345/.392 last season and stole 82 bases down in A-Ball. Just saying. He’s only 20-years old too and just now beginning to grow into his frame and his body.

Oh and boy did the Yankees dodge a bullet with the domestic violence incident and suspension, huh? Reyes hasn’t even played this season because of his suspension and now finds himself in Triple-A “getting back into game shape.” Yeah that’s code for we’re going to delay this as long as we can. The best move the Yankees made all summer in 2015 was the move they didn’t make, the move where they trade Mateo to the Colorado Rockies for Jose Reyes. What a moron Brian Cashman is. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 6/3

Mission makeup all rained out games to date was marked complete yesterday as the New York Yankees made a one-night stop in Detroit on their way to Baltimore and Camden Yards tonight. Inside Oriole Park the Yankees and the Orioles will face off for the first time in their latest three-game set with the Orioles in a dogfight with the Boston Red Sox at the top of the division while the Yankees are trying to claw themselves out of this fourth place hole they currently find themselves in. Donned with turning the Yankees season around and kicking off the series with a win is one of the few bright spots on this Yankees team this year in Nathan Eovaldi while the Orioles counter with Chris Tillman who looks to keep the good times rolling in Baltimore.

Eovaldi has been as good as advertised and maybe as good as ever in his last four-or-five starts for the Yankees and looks to keep that dominant streak alive tonight in Baltimore. Eovaldi is limiting his base hits and walks while striking out a healthy amount of opposing batters with his splitter and if the right-hander could limit the number of pitches he throws the Yankees may have found something special in him going forward.

Tillman heads into this starts fresh off a no-decision against the Houston Astros that saw him go seven innings on Tuesday. In the start Tillman struck out five and walked three while giving up two runs and three hits in the contest. Tillman has historically been a thorn in the Yankees side so let’s hope the offense is on thorn removal duty tonight in Baltimore.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Oriole Park and Camden Yards and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. After a very tough series in Toronto and the Tigers game eating up an all-important off day yesterday the Yankees need two things. A day off and a win. The MLB schedule makers made sure New York wasn’t going to get one of those but the team can get the other, the victory. The bats need to wake up and the pitching needs to be sharp. Go Yankees!

The Case For and Against Trading Carlos Beltran

To date the New York Yankees 2016 season has been one step forward and two steps back. Every time the team gets on a roll against a string of good teams they seemingly lay down against the teams they should beat on paper and now find themselves in a hole that may be too insurmountable to climb out of. The hard decisions will need to be made soon as the August 1^st trade deadline approaches and many executives in the Yankees front office need to start deciding on who should stay and who should go. One of those members of the team that the organization will have to make a decision on is Carlos Beltran so let’s look at the pros and cons of trading the veteran right fielder and future Hall of Fame player.

The case for a trade:

The Yankees aren’t going anywhere in 2016 and this adds prospects and/or Major League ready talent to the organization while paving the way for more playing time for Aaron Hicks and the eventual call up of Aaron Judge. 

The Yankees team gets younger, more versatile and cheaper with any deal. Even if the Yankees end up eating salary. 

Beltran has still shown an ability to be productive meaning the Yankees could get something meaningful back in return for the rental. 

I know I said it once but Aaron Judge. Aaron Judge. 

The case against a trade:

Beltran reportedly always wanted to be a Yankee which may tarnish the reputation of the club that trades him in some circles. Not all, but some. 

The team is still in contention for a second Wild Card spot and trading away one of their most consistent hitters does not help that cause and may look foolish if the team goes on a second half run like they have been known to do in years past. 

Trading Beltran throws the “World Series contending team” mantra out the window and finally confirms what we already knew, the Yankees are rebuilding. 

Beltran is willing to talk waiving his no-trade clause if approached and can only block a trade to 15 teams anyway so it seems like all the planets are aligning for a trade of Beltran this summer. Will the Yankees be able to pull the trigger though and what would they get in return? That’s anyone’s guess at this point. Stay tuned.

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo

What else can be said about the Yankees Phenom that has not already been said about 100 times already? Jorge Mateo is a special kind of talent that the Yankees have refused to move in trades and a special kind of talent that they are seemingly going to wait on as he makes his climb towards the Major Leagues.

Mateo continued that climb this week with another healthy and productive week down on the farm which resulted in this stat line: 

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	Tampa	49	223	40	59	5	8	5	32	17	9	20	52	.296	.360	.477	.838

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

This Day in New York Yankees History 6/3: Jeter Becomes the Captain

On this day in 2003 Derek was relieved of any other name he was ever given in his walk in life and officially became The Captain of the New York Yankees. 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).


Also 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.


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.


Finally 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.