Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 9/20

Here we go ladies and gentleman as the New York Yankees have made the trip to Tampa St. Pete to face off with the Tampa Bay Rays inside Tropicana Field. If a game is played in the middle of the state of Florida and no one is there to witness it because their home team is terrible, their home stadium is terrible and it’s more trouble than it’s worth to get to the stadium after fighting all that Orlando traffic, did it really happen? We’re about to find out as the New York Yankees send Michael Pineda to the mound tonight to square off with LHP for the Rays Drew Smyly. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

Three in Tampa before four in Toronto and a return to the Bronx to honor David Ortiz and finish the regular season. This is it, the final days of the regular season and boy is it bittersweet. Follow along with us this season while you still can by liking our page on Facebook and by giving our twitter account @GreedyStripes a follow. Also keep in mind that just because the regular season is over and all that it doesn’t mean we go into hibernation. Some blogs do but we don’t so be sure to check in every day as we continue to bring you more and more content daily.

Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 9/20

You know what one of the best things about Major League Baseball is? You play every day and you only see the same team on average of three games at a time before seeing another team in another city on another day. Thank goodness for that after the debacle that was the series with the Boston Red Sox over the weekend inside Fenway Park. I don’t think as a fan I’ve ever been happier to see Tropicana Field and those pesky Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays and the Yankees begin a series tonight in The Trop with Michael Pineda toeing the rubber for the Yankees and Drew Smyly taking the ball for Tampa Bay. Should be a good one as long as the Yankees pitchers remember how to throw the ball to a base and where a fielder can catch it. Just a thought.

Pineda has not won a decision since early August despite having pitched well enough to win in a few of those starts. His manager Joe Girardi has not shown confidence in the young right-hander pulling him before allowing him to finish the fifth inning in each of his last three starts including in his last start against the Los Angeles Dodgers where Pineda threw just 82 pitches and was pitching a shutout through four innings allowing just two hits in the process.

Smyly has become suddenly prone to the home run recently which could work out in the Yankees favor tonight. Smyly has given up a home run in six consecutive starts but in five of those starts he has notched the victory so the home run ball may be a gift and a curse tonight for the Baby Bombers. One saving grace for New York though is that Smyly has struggled at home this season posting a 3-6 record and a 4.48 ERA in 13 starts at The Trop this season.

The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The days of needing a win and getting a win may be over but the days of rooting for the Yankees to crush the competition and the days of rooting for Gary Sanchez to reach 20 home runs before the end of the season feel like they just began. Go Yankees! 

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 7/30

It is game time ladies and gentleman between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays. In the contest this evening we will watch as Nathan Eovaldi takes the mound for the Yankees and Drew Smyly takes the mound for the Rays. The game will be played at 6:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

I’m not sure how much of this game I will actually see as I have been working on my vehicle all day but give us a follow on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) and we’ll try to tweet when we can. You can also like us on Facebook as well by searching for The Greedy Pinstripes.

Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Eovaldi? Let’s find out. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 7/30

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays continue their three game set today with the middle game of the series. We have just two games including today before judgement day and the August 1^st trading deadline so the Rays continue to look to play the role of spoilers for New York while the Yankees will likely wait until last second or even August 31^st before “declaring” themselves. They never do things the easy way unfortunately but that’s neither here nor there. In today’s matchup the Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to square off with Drew Smyly for the Rays.

Eovaldi will head into this game making his 19^th start of the season. Eovaldi has struggled some this season and was even demoted to the bullpen at one point but he has since come back strong and will look to continue that string of good pitching tonight against the Rays. Tampa hasn’t done well recently against Eovaldi as the Yankees right-hander has posted a 3.86 ERA with 20 K’s in three career starts against the Rays.

Smyly heads into this start fresh off possibly the best start of his season last time out against Oakland. In that start the Rays lefty allowed just one run in six innings of work against the Athletics although the A’s would come back late in the content to give Smyly a no-decision.

The game will be played at 6:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. This seems like an awfully random time for a ball game to start on a Saturday night but who am I to judge? I just work here and I root for the Yankees. Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 4/24

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are on the field and they are ready to finish off their three-game set this weekend in the Bronx. Michael Pineda has taken the mound, the Rays batters are ready to hit and Drew Smyly is sitting in the dugout ready to face the Yankes offense in the bottom of the inning. The Rays offense is weak and Michael Pineda has done well against them in his career so I have a good feeling about this game and this series win. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees head out on the road to Arlington tomorrow for a little road trip so Yankee Stadium gets a bit of a break for a while. Unfortunately many of us cannot see the Yankees live but that doesn't mean you can't get your Yankees Tickets by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog just to be ready for when the team returns to the Bronx. Until then though head over to Twitter and give @GreedyStripes a follow to interact with us and to live tweet each and every Yankees game this season.

Let's win a series and let's get out of New York without heads held high. Go Yankees!!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 4/24

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are set to finish off their three game set this afternoon in the Bronx. After a night game on Friday and a day game on Saturday many regulars were absent for that game yesterday afternoon. I fully expect more than a few regulars to be absent or on the bench for this one as well. One man that won't be absent, we hope, is the Yankees starter for the day Michael Pineda. Opposing Pineda, thankfully it's not Chris Archer, is Drew Smyly for the Rays, yet another left-hander.

Pineda, like yesterday's starter Masahiro Tanaka, is seemingly getting stronger with every start and will look to continue that trend this afternoon in the Bronx. In Pineda's last start he held the Oakland Athletics to two runs and seven hits in six plus innings of work striking out seven batters. Pineda will look to improve on his career 2-1 record and 2.70 ERA against the Rays in seven career starts. 

Smyly heads into this start against the Yankees fresh off a no-decision last time out against the Chicago White Sox. Smyly is a fastball type pitcher that sets up the rest of his repertroire with it giving the Yankees plenty of straight balls to hit. The Yankees are a fastball hitting team and it's a day game in New York so that may spell doom for Smyly today.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The Yankees are hoping for a quick contest this afternoon as they have to make the trip west to Arlington to face off with the Texas Rangers tomorrow night. I just hope the team isn't looking ahead to that game or the long plane ride over and are 100% focused on this game because the team needs every single win that they can get right now.

Go Yankees!

Fantasy Baseball: Who are the Tampa Bay Rays?

The Tampa Bay Rays are a team in transition and a team that is constantly rebuilding. The team is absolutely stacked on the pitching side of things with Chris Archer leading the way but injuries set the team back in a major way in 2015. The team will now look to have a healthier and more productive 2016 after adding a couple new faces and after getting a couple old faces back from the disabled list with their eyes on the prize that is the American League East division. While the Rays have their eyes set on October in real life those same Tampa Bay Rays can help you reach the same October playoff goal, just in your fantasy baseball league of course. 

The first new face in Tampa is former Colorado Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson who leaves the friendly confides of Coors Field to come to a more pitching friendly ballpark in Tropicana Field. For that reason alone he may not be worth where he is going to be ranked or taken but he will still likely give you 20-25 home run power at an outfield position and that’s never bad. He’s one that will likely be taken before I feel comfortable taking him but if he’s there and in your comfort level then go for it, he’s a good ball player with a lot to like. 

Another new face is Brad Miller who is not going to put up ungodly numbers at the dish but at an anemic position offensively like shortstop his .258 average, 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases is near the top of the second tier player list at the position. Miller is only 26-years old and is technically entering his prime so you may see those numbers tick a bit higher in 2016. 

A stalwart in the Rays lineup lately is outfielder Kevin Kiermaier who had a solid 2015 campaign that not too many outside of the AL East really knew about. Kiermaier can get you 15 home runs and steal you 20-30 bases in a season while adding Gold Glove caliber defense to the squad. 

Finally you have to look at the prospects currently coming out of the Tampa Bay system. They always seem to have one or two that burst onto the scene in a big way and besides, it’s Prospects Month so we’re almost obligated to talk about them here today. The Rays best pitching prospect in the system is Blake Snell and he just may break camp with the club this season. The Rays will try to piece together a solid rotation behind Archer and Matt Moore until Alex Cobb returns from Tommy John surgery and a combination of Drew Smyly and Snell are likely going to do it for Tampa. Meanwhile the best and closest positional prospect is first baseman Richie Schaffer who is also eligible at third base. Schaffer would likely have to be a DH in Tampa or replace an injured first baseman but in 74 at bats with the club last year he belted four home runs showing off his raw power. If Shaffer gets a shot he could deliver some big home run and RBI numbers for the Rays and your club, just don’t expect a high average or a terribly high runs scored stat to go along with it. 

There you have it, the young guns and the prospects that are likely going to make or break the Tampa Bay Rays season and that can also make or break your fantasy draft this season. I hope the information helped and if it did pass it along to someone else in need. If it didn’t help then I apologize, but I have a feeling that it will. Enjoy and thanks for reading. 

If the Rays Keep Selling…

The Tampa Bay Rays started the offseason off by sending right-handed pitcher Nathan Karns and CJ Riefenhauser to the Seattle Mariners for a package revolving around Brad Miller but the Tampa Bay GM may not be done there. According to Marc Topkin of TampaBay.com the Rays may not be done there and they may be in the market to sell off another starting pitcher or more, well a starting pitcher not named Chris Archer anyway. I know this is extremely unlikely, a team trading to a division rival they are in direct competition with inside the American League East Division, but if the Rays keep selling hopefully Brian Cashman is calling and hopefully Brian Cashman is buying.

Money is the ultimate motivating factor for Tampa Bay so having pitchers with question marks and health concerns surrounding them may move to the top of the trade list for the Rays. Players like LHP Drew Smyly who battled shoulder issues for much of the 2015 season and comes attached to around $4 million in salary through arbitration. Players like LHP Matt Moore who will make $5 million in salary in the final season of his deal before three team options kick in. Moore missed a significant chunk of the 2015 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and struggled with his command upon his return. Speaking of Tommy John surgery Alex Cobb should be back on the mound from the UCL ligament replacement surgery around August if there aren’t any setbacks.

Outside of the rotation the team could trade first baseman James Loney to one of the many teams that will miss out on Chris Davis on the free agency market. The team could also look at trading Brad Boxberger, although the team would have to be blown away since he is still relatively effective and on the cheaper side. Tampa has plenty of moveable contracts and attractive pieces that they could literally do as they pleased this winter. Any and all of these moves could open the door for a short-term deal with a veteran such as Rich Hill and could also open the door for top prospects LHP Blake Snell and RHP’s Taylor Guerrieri and Jacob Faria.

The Yankees would obviously have little interest in Boxberger, Loney or Cobb (unless it was essentially a salary dump which Tampa won’t do) but you have to think that either Moore or Smyly would at least interest Brian Cashman somewhat. I’m not saying a deal is going to get made, and I’m especially not saying it’s going to involve the New York Yankees, but what I am saying is that if the conversations are happening I hope Cashman is at least on the conference call list. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 4/29

There’s no better way to spend an afternoon in New York City than to be sitting in the Bronx at the beautiful and historic Yankee Stadium. This is especially true when the Yankees play host to one of their American League East rivals in the Tampa Bay Rays like they do this afternoon. The pitching matchup for this afternoon is Masahiro Tanaka  Michael Pineda for the Yankees and Drew Smyly for the Rays with Pineda pitching on his normal rest and Smyly making just his second start of the season. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV.

Get your Yankees tickets right here on the blog through our Yankees Tickets link on the top of the blog and have your tickets in hand for when the Yankees return home to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium. If you’re in Boston sleeping with the enemy you can also grab a pair of tickets for this weekend’s series right here on the blog without any fees or shipping costs associated with the purchase. If you’re going to stay home like I am then join me on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) and/or the comments section of the blog to interact during the game. We try and live tweet every single game so join us, we love being social.

That’s enough from me Mr. Pineda take it from here. Go Yankees!

The Daily Dozen - August 16, 2014

The Daily Dozen - August 16th, 2014 Edition
(Twelve Takeaways from Today's Game vs. the Devil Rays)

1. The Yankees have had 51 games started this year by a Rookie.  Is there any wonder that they are only 3 games above .500?  In all actuality, they have pitched rather brilliantly and have showed poise under the spotlight.  If only their offense would respond to well pitched games.

"No sweat dude!" (Photo Credit: USAToday.com)

2. This game was a very pivotal game for the Yankees.  A win would ensure that they leave New York South with at least a 1 game lead over the Devil Rays.  A loss would put them in a tie with the Devil Rays and likely 9 games behind the Orioles and 5 games out of the 2nd Wild Card spot with only 41 games left to play.  Not good odds.

3. Martin Prado hits a 2-run home run in the 2nd.  This home run was the first hit of the game off of the newly acquired Drew Smyly.  I bet he wasn't "smyling" after that one as he gave up a 2 run lead to the Yankees! (wocka, wocka, wocka!)  Prado's home run was his 7th of the season.

Classic T-Shirt by Kenny Durkin...well played sir!

4. The Yankees only had 3 hits through 5 innings.  Those 3 hits were by the 7-8-9 hitters in the lineup.  I'm not going to say that the heart of the lineup has been bad lately, but...wait...yeah, that's what I'm saying...absolutely not clutch lately.

5. Sigh.  Jacoby Ellsbury's pathetic attempt at a bunt in the 6th inning left my speechless.  Really?  A pop-up to the catcher?  Really?

6. Drew Smyly came over to the Rays in the David Price trade.  Let's take a look at their lines since the deal, shall we?

The top numbers are that of Mr. Smyly.  He is 1-1 with 20 IP, 14 hits, 5 ER, 1 HR, has 19 Ks, and has pitched over 100 pitches in each game.  The bottom numbers are Mr. Price's.  He is currently pitching through 2 innings tonight against Seattle and hasn't given up a run, but in the first 2 games for the Tigers he has 0 decisions, has pitched 14.2 innings, given up 13 hits, 7 ER, 3 HRs, has 16 Ks, and has pitched 112 pitches in each game.  What an even swap, huh?

7. Evan Longoria has 26 home runs against the Yankees since 2008.  That is the most in the majors.  He also leads the majors with 74 RBI in that span against the Yankees.  Good thing he didn't add to those stats in tonight's game!

8. The Rays have left more men on base than any other team in baseball.  At least that's what I heard during the Fox Sports 1 broadcast.  By the eye test, I would have said that the Yankees led easily in that category.  According to TeamRankings.com the Yankees are actually right in the middle of the pack in LOB with 14.38 per game.  The Devil Rays have left 15.48 per game, by far the most in the majors.

Chart Courtesy of TeamRankings.com

9. Singles, singles, singles.  No, it's not an advertisment for Match.com...base hits got to Shane Greene in the 6th inning as his fastball started coming up in the zone (i.e. not sinking anymore) at around 80 pitches thrown. He left the game in the 7th after his defense failed him at 102 pitches and 10 strikeouts (a career high).  Shane Greene definitely deserved to win this game!

10. I hate the defensive shift.  What I can't stand even more is that the hitters haven't adjusted to the shift yet.  As of tonight's game the following teams had used the shift the most in the majors:  Houston Astros - 1288 shifts, New York Yankees - 851, Tampa Bay Devil Rays - 659.  Joe Madden...this is all your fault!

11. Did anyone see Yunel Escobar's face when Betances unleashed his slider?  I mean what do you do when you are getting pounded by 99 mph fastballs and then he sends an 84 mph slider in there?  This is what you do...

"Are you freaking kidding me...?"

12. Guess who has the most hits versus the Devil Rays all-time?  You guessed it El Capitan, Mr. Derek #Re2pect Jeter!  With his game winning RBI single in the 9th he now has 315 hits.  The next closest you ask? Alex Rodriguez with 212, followed by Ortiz (208), Damon (198), and Cano (188).

Jeter's Late Single Backs Up Greene's Great Start in 3-2 Win Over Rays

Shane Greene gave up just 2 earned runs in 6+ innings and Derek Jeter hit a go-ahead single in the top of the ninth today as the Yankees finally ended their five-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Rays. 

For most of this one, as expected, Greene and the Yanks led 2-0, an advantage built in the second when Martin Prado took Tampa Bay Starter Drew Smyly deep to left with a man on second.

Nonetheless, after a trio of Rays hits plated a run in the bottom of the sixth and a Chase Headley mental error on an infield chopper led to another crossing of home in the seventh the contest was even, appearing to kill the Yanks' confidence. 

Fortunately, as you can see by that final score, that wouldn't prove to be the case, with an infield knock by Brett Gardner, a throw into the Tampa dugout, and the aforementioned single by Jeter off Jake McGee in the ninth re-giving New York the lead, something they'd never lose thanks to a perfect last at-bat by the always-reliable David Robertson.

Still, since that defensive meltdown cost Greene the W you can't help but be a little dissapointed in the way this afternoon's ballgame played out, as it probably shouldn't have needed the late rally it did.