Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers 8/11

And just like that it is game time here in the Bronx between the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers. In the third game of their four-game weekend set the Yankees will send Lance Lynn out to the mound to make his second start for New York while the Rangers will counter with Drew Hutchison. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and can be seen on the YES Network locally and MLB Network nationally. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Follow us on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, and “Like” us on Facebook, The Greedy Pinstripes, to keep up with us and the Yankees all season long. Enjoy the game, get another victory, and go Yankees!!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers 8/11

The New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers will continue their four-game weekend set this afternoon in the Bronx with the third game of the series. In the start this afternoon the Yankees will send out Lance Lynn to the mound to make his second start for the Yankees while the Rangers will counter with Drew Hutchison. Let’s get to it here in the Bronx.

Lynn impressed Yankees fans in his first start since being acquired from the Minnesota Twins, even if it was against a Triple-A offense in the Chicago White Sox. In the start Lynn went 7.1 innings pitched allowing just two hits while retiring 19 straight batters at one point in the contest. This was the first time all season that Lynn had pitched into the eight inning.

Hutchison will also be making just his second start of the season for his new team after making his first start for Texas last Sunday against the Seattle Mariners. Hutchison did not fare as well as Lynn did in debut allowing six runs in three innings in a 9-5 loss to Seattle.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and can be seen on the YES Network locally and MLB Network nationally. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Enjoy the game, anyone miss Sonny Gray yet? Nope, me either…, and go Yankees!!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 8/16

Here we go boys and girls, the time has come for the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays to finish off their three game weekend set head-to-head at the Rogers Centre. This has been one hell of a series with one hell of an atmosphere, I only hope the Yankees faithful can do the same in the Bronx when the team returns home to Yankee Stadium next week. This afternoon the Yankees get a glimpse into the future once again when they send Luis Severino to the mound to face off against the Blue Jays right-hander Drew Hutchison. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees return home tomorrow to play host to the Minnesota Twins so you have just a few hours left to click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and get your Yankees tickets in hand. HOPE Week is coming at the stadium and so is Andy Pettitte Day so be sure to click the link while there are still tickets available. Enough about tomorrow, let's worry about today. Head over to Twitter and give @GreedyStripes a follow to root for the home team as the Yankees look to beat the Jays this afternoon before heading home to the Bronx.

Severino vs. Hutchison is a matchup we as the fans could be watching for a long, long time between these two clubs. The first chapter is written today, Go Severino and Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 8/16

The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays will finish off their three game set this afternoon to conclude one hell of a series. It is hard to believe that this kind of atmosphere not only with the fans but with the players as well is going on in the middle of August, this whole series felt like one big playoff series hasn't it? Anyway, the Yankees will send their rookie star and top pitching prospect Luis Serverino to the mound this afternoon with first place in the division on the line while the Blue Jays counter with Drew Hutchison. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Severino will be making his third start of his Major League career this afternoon and it has all the makings of a good one. Severino took a no decision in his last start after giving up just two runs over six innings of work against the Cleveland Indians. Severino is still searching for his first win of his Major League career. 

• Hutchison is coming off one of his better starts of the season last time out against the Oakland Athletics. This may be the biggest start of the career for Hutchison as he faces off against the mighty New York Yankees in a playoff atmosphere inside the Rogers Centre. 

The Yankees head home tomorrow to play host to the Minnesota Twins inside Yankee Stadium but the team cannot look ahead past this game so neither will we. The American League East Division is on the line here, and will be on the line again when these two teams finish their head-to-head schedule in September. Win, Go Yankees!

My Thoughts on Alex Rodriguez After One Game

Earlier in the day I put my thoughts onto paper concerning Masahiro Tanaka’s first start for the 2015 season so I figured I would do the same for Alex Rodriguez before Game Two starts tonight in the Bronx. We all knew that Alex’s plate discipline and his vision at the plate was not affected by the hip surgery, the suspension and the long layoff but what we did not know was how the opposing pitchers would attack him at the plate. After spring training and one game in the books I think we have at least a general idea of what Rodriguez should expect and what we should expect from A Rod in 2015.

The Toronto Blue Jays surprisingly showed a lot of respect to Alex while he was at the plate in Monday afternoon’s game, something I don’t think any of us saw coming. I don’t mean respect in the fact that they didn’t try and plunk him and make him “pay” for his mistakes he has already paid for, Ryan Dempster is still a word that rhymes with wussy, but respect in the pitch selection to Rodriguez. They didn’t give Rodriguez much to hit and the single he hit off Hutchison was when he was tiring and left a ball over the plate after the catcher set up inside.

The pitchers attacked Alex inside and Alex like the veteran that he is didn’t try and do too much. Alex seems quite content with taking his walks and keeping the line moving for the team, aka being a team player and doing whatever it takes to win. Alex doesn’t seem like he’s necessarily shooting for individual stats or rushing to collect his $6 million bonus for tying Willie Mays on the all-time home run list but again, it’s just been one game.

I will also say, and end with this, I was very impressed and humbled by the Yankees fans on Monday. Some boo’d Alex but the vast majority of the fans cheered the Yankees DH. I saw signs based off Bald Vinny’s “FORG1V3” shirt and it really made me smile to see the Yankees family getting behind Alex. Alex needs your support because he truly is his biggest and toughest critic, as hard as that is to believe, and will benefit none from hearing the Boo Birds this season. Cheer Alex and cheer for the Yankees because I think, again just after one game, that Alex may be a lot better than many of you would have thought. 

Recap: Blue Jays 6, Yankees 1

Masahiro Tanaka had a rough first start of the season, surrendering four earned runs in just four innings as the Yankees fell to the Blue Jays, 6-1, on Opening Day Monday at Yankee Stadium.

Tanaka's Woes: Tanaka cruised through this one's first two innings, but struggled greatly with his command in the Blue Jays' half of third. He let Toronto's eight and nine hitters reach before a Chase Headley throwing error, a Russell Martin two-run single and an Edwin Encarnacion two-run homer put the visitors up 5-0 -- eventually causing Tanaka's day to end prematurely.

Offense Flustered: The Yankees mustered just three hits in six innings against Drew Hutchison, and didn't register a baserunner until the bottom of the third. Their lone run on the afternoon came on a solo shot from Brett Gardner in the sixth -- a line drive to right-center that just had enough on it to find the seats.

A-Rod's Return to the Bronx: Alex Rodriguez walked to lead-off the third and singled to lead-off the fifth -- his first hit since late 2013. In the seventh, Rodriguez laced one hard into the right-center field gap off Aaron Loup, but Jose Bautista was able to run it down for the out.

Bullpen Impresses: Chris Martin struck out each of the three hitters he faced in the fifth and David Carpenter tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings -- likely the best performances from the Yankees' relief core in the contest. Elsewhere, Chasen Shreve allowed a run in an inning and a third and Esmil Rogers recorded the last out of the ninth -- Rogers having entered the game after a trio of walks by Justin Wilson. 

Rally Killer: With the Yankees threatening with men on first and second and two out in the eighth, Didi Gregorius was gunned down trying to steal third -- a mistake that garnered a seemingly-angry look by manager Joe Girardi. Girardi was seen talking to Gregorius following the play, apparently upset with the latter's decision to run. 

Next Up: Michael Pineda will take the hill for his 2015 debut when the Yankees host the Blue Jays again on Wednesday -- a matchup you can see live on YES and SNET. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is expected to oppose Pineda when the action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET -- Pineda's sixth career start versus the Jays. 

Opening Day Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 4/6

Welcome to Opening Day 2015 Yankees family as the New York Yankees play host to the Toronto Blue Jays. On the mound for the Yankees is their ace Masahiro Tanaka making his first career Opening Day start. Opposing him on the mound for Toronto will be Drew Hutchison who is also making his first Opening Day start of his career. The game is being played right now and can be seen on ESPN, the YES Network and of course MLB TV. Enjoy the game Yankees family.

We try and live tweet and comment every single game so be sure to join us in the comments section on the site or on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes. If you'd rather see the game live then you can click on our YANKEES TICKETS tab and buy your own with a TGP discount.

Enjoy the game Yankees family and as always, Go Yankees!!!

Opening Day Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 4/6

Welcome to Opening Day 2015 Yankees family as the New York Yankees welcome their American League East rivals to Yankee Stadium when the team plays host to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees finished in front of Toronto once again in 2014 and both teams added to their offense looking to improve in 2015. It should be a fun season and at sometimes a long season for both clubs in the AL East as the division looks wide open for the first time in a long time.

On the mound for the Yankees will be Masahiro Tanaka who draws his first career Opening Day start of his MLB career. In 2014 Tanaka went 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA in 20 starts during his rookie season. His season was cut short due to a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament that he rested and rehabbed rather than undergoing surgery. Tanaka came back at the end of 2014 and made two starts for the Yankees and looked sharp overall this spring with a slightly altered delivery and repertoire.

On the mound for the Blue Jays will be Drew Hutchison who will also be making his first career Opening Day start of his career. Hutchison, 24 years old, returned from Tommy John surgery in 2014 and posted an 11-13 record with a 4.48 ERA. While those stats are less than impressive for an Opening Day starter his 184 K's in 184.2 IP and the rest of his peripherals tell the rest of the story. Hutchison has a career 4.80 ERA at Yankee Stadium and may be faced with the Mark Buehrle type demons in his head if he doesn't pitch well against the Bronx Bombers soon.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on ESPN, the YES Network and on MLB TV all season long.

Fantasy Baseball: Stroman out, Hutchison In

Your fantasy baseball drafts are probably right around the corner so here is a little bit of a catch me up for you guys last minute. I will focus on the Toronto Blue Jays a little in this post because they lost one of their more promising arms in Marcus Stroman this season due to Tommy John surgery. It will be a collective team effort to replace what the young right hander brought to the table but as far as fantasy is concerned I think the pitcher with the most to gain is Drew Hutchison.

It’s convenient that this post comes just days after Hutchison pitched four shutout innings in his latest spring training start on the road against the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore had seven projected Opening Day starters on the team and Hutchison held the Orioles to only two hits and a walk while getting two strikeouts. It’s only been two starts and its only spring training but Hutchison has yet to allow an earned run this spring for the Blue Jays. It sounds to me like he may be ready to break out in a big way, especially considering the fact that this early in the spring a lot of the younger hitters are in camp and those hitters tend to be aggressive and more finely tuned since they played in Winter Ball, the Arizona Fall League and equivalents.

Hutchison went 11-13 with a 4.48 ERA last season but did strike out a batter an inning basically with a 3.91 FIP. Hutchison put more than his fair share on base last season but he stranded most of them helping his own cause and with youth on his side he has plenty of upside this season in fantasy and will likely not be picked in the first 8-10 rounds. Hutchison is 24 years old and may be a sleeper heading into the 2015 both for the Toronto Blue Jays and your fantasy team. 

Pineda Solid, But Offense Stays Home in Embarrassing Loss to Toronto

Michael Pineda surrendered just two earned runs in 6+ innings and Shawn Kelley escaped a second-and-third, no-out jam in the bottom of the seventh, but since the offense decided not to play and Drew Hutchison took advantage of them doing so the Yankees fell to the Blue Jays today, 2-0, in a tough-to-watch middle game north of the border.

Coming off yesterday's late comeback in which they scored six times in their final three at-bats, naturally, the Yankees were expected to compete in this one, especially since the pitching matchup of Pineda vs. Hutchison seemed to be in their favor. 

Nonetheless, after Toronto RF Jose Bautista hit a two-run shot into the upper deck in the home team's half of the first the contest essentially ended, with the Yanks never scoring off Hutchison in seven frames. 

Granted, with two outs in the top of the fifth they loaded the bases on a Mark Teixeira double (their only hit of the game) and a couple of HPBs, but since the usually-clutch Martin Prado still flew out to end that threat I think it's fair to say it doesn't matter, as it was merely a letdown on a day full of them.

Bullpen Struggles in 6-4 Loss to Blue Jays

Since the All Star Break concluded, the Yankees' bullpen has been pretty dominant.

The 8-man group, arguably the best in baseball, had given up just 2 earned runs in the last eight games going into today, a big reason why the team's gone 7-1 during that stretch.

Nonetheless, they do have bad performances every once in a while, something that unfortunetaly happened this afternoon, with Shawn Kelley, Chase Whitley, and Jeff Francis surrendering four trips around the bases as the Yanks fell to the Blue Jays 6-4.

In this one's seventh inning, after Chris Capuano impressively threw 6 frames of two-run ball, the aforementioned Kelley loaded the bases with just one out, causing him to be removed in place of Matt Thornton. 

In his outing, surprisingly, Thornton did throw the ball well, but due to a bloop infield single by Dan Johnson one of the runners he inherited found a way home, breaking a 2-2 tie.

On that play, Yanks' Second Baseman Brian Roberts originally looked like he was going to catch it, a perception proved incorrect when the flare ended up dropping in the grass, letting Melky Cabrera come in from third while putting Kelley in line for the loss and Jays' Starter Drew Hutchison (6 2/3 IP, 2 ER) for the win.

No, Kelley probably didn't deserve to take the fall, but after the Whitley/Francis duo combined to allow three more runs in the top of the ninth he did, with a late two-run home run from Carlos Beltran in the last frame and another one in the fourth from Brian McCann being all New York would get from their offense on the day. 

Yes, Derek Jeter picked up a pair of singles and Chase Headley once reached on a shift-beating bunt, although considering none of those knocks affected how the contest played out they don't really matter, an unfortunate truth.

Kuroda, Teixeira Help Yankees Avoid Toronto Sweep 5-3

Since May 28's rubber game in St. Louis, Yankees' Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda has failed to get a win.

The 39-year-old right-hander, an unfair 4-5 going into tonight, hasn't been terrible during the month-long drought, something ruined by a recurring lack of offensive support.

Fortunetaly, that annoying absence of justice ended in this evening's contest in Toronto, as Kuroda got a solid five runs from his bats in a much-needed, 5-3 victory, ending the Yanks' four-game losing streak.

As expected, the night didn't start particularly well for #18, who surrendered a home run to Jose Reyes on the first pitch he threw.  

Still, Kuroda did pitch overall nicely for the Bombers, cruising through 6.1 innings while giving up just 3 earned runs, evening up his record at 5-5 and lowering his ERA to 4.12.

No, those numbers aren't perfect, but thanks largely in part to a four-run top of the third they were good enough to get the W.

In that frame, the recently-activated Francisco Cervelli tied it up with a double, followed later by an RBI Single from Jacoby Ellsbury and a line-drive, two-run homer from Mark Teixeira, his team-leading 14th of the year.

After those four crossings of home, Blue Jays' Starter Drew Hutchison was destined to lose, with his final line eventually reading 6 innings with no further damage. 

In the top of the seventh, the aforementioned Teixeira drove home an insurance run with a bases-loaded sac fly, setting up a pretty stress-free seventh, eighth, and ninth frames, in which Shawn Kelley, Matt Thornton, and Adam Warren each recorded an out.

Following Warren in the bottom of the eighth was Closer David Robertson, who retired each of the five guys he faced for his 18th save of the season.

Interestingly, the late action was the first for Robertson since last Wednesday, when he also shutout the Jays in a game at Yankee Stadium.