So it Seems We’re Taking the Day Off

Well, not on the blog. The Yankees are taking the day off though and boy do they need it after spending 18 innings with the Chicago Cubs only to do nine more innings with the Cincinnati Reds the very next night. It figures that those two teams would go for 18 innings while on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball and not during one of the Cubs numerous day games, huh? Oh well, it was fun and New York won.

So today we have a long-awaited and much-needed off day. Enjoy it. Have a great day everyone.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Cincinnati Reds 5/9

Here we go ladies and gentleman, it is game time in Cincinnati as the Cincinnati Reds play host to the New York Yankees in the second and final game of this quick two-game interleague series. Last night was Masahiro Tanaka’s turn to take the ball for the Yankees and tonight it is CC Sabathia’s turn who is looking to turn around a recent rough string of starts. The man looking to keep the Yankees offense in check, and good luck with that lately, is Tim Adleman for the Reds. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET inside the Great American Ball Park and can be seen on FOX Sports One. You can also follow along on the radio if you’re blacked out on WFAN.

Interact with us all season long by giving us a follow on Twitter. Our Twitter account is @GreedyStripes.

Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Cincinnati Reds 5/9

And just like that the series between the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds is over. Well, it will be over tonight anyway as these two teams complete their quick two-game interleague series tonight inside the Great American Ball Park. Stand up for the Judge and release the Kraken because the ball should be flying out of Cincinnati tonight if the opposing offenses have anything to say about it. There are two men donned with the task of keeping the ball in the ballpark and they are CC Sabathia for the Yankees and Tim Adleman for the Reds.

Sabathia has been absolutely horrible in his last three starts which is beginning to cause concern here in the Bronx. After a great start to the season Sabathia has posted a 10.43 ERA in his last three starts lasting just 14.2 innings while allowing 17 earned runs on five home runs. How about more of the early season Sabathia and less of this guy.

Adleman last faced the Pittsburgh Pirates allowing two runs in six innings of work which resulted in a 4-2 victory for the Reds. Adleman is especially tough against left-handed bats while right-handers are hitting over .300 against him this season so don’t expect Aaron Judge or Gary Sanchez to see much to hit tonight because if they get a good pitch to hit it’s going to go a long way out in Cincinnati.

The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET inside the Great American Ball Park and can be seen on Fox Sports One. I’m, again, not sure how the Fox and their affiliates broadcast affects MLB TV so you will just have to check in at game time. If anyone knows beforehand please let me know and I’ll update the post. If it is blacked out you can always follow along on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on the WFAN broadcast.

Go Yankees!

All-Star Game History inside Yankee Stadium

The New York Yankees have hosted the Major League Baseball All Star Game four times in their storied history, the latest being in 2008. The city of New York has hosted a record nine All Star Games in the 86 games that have been played in the history of the game. With the 2015 version of the MLB All-Star Game officially in the books and nothing better to really talk about until Friday let’s go over the Yankee Stadium history with the All-Star Game and speculate when Yankee Stadium III could be hosting the Mid-Summer Classic.

The first Yankees hosted All Star Game happened on July 11, 1939 at Yankee Stadium followed by a wait until July 13, 1960. Back in 1960 two All Star Games were held, the other coming in Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, while the Yankees hosted the second game that year. The Yankees then again hosted in 1977 on July 19th and had to wait until Yankee Stadium II's final season in 2008 to host another. Yankee Stadium III, which opened in 2008, has yet to host an All Star Game. Interestingly enough the Yankees were the World Series champions in 1939 and were one “shot heard round the world” away from being the champions again in 1960. The Pittsburgh Pirates upset the Yankees in the 7^th game of that World Series but New York would get its revenge in 1977 when they won another World Series in the same year as they hosted the All-Star Game in the Bronx. 2008, we don’t talk about 2008.

When the new Yankee Stadium will get to host its first World Series is going to be tough to answer but my best guess is not going to be a popular one with Yankees fans. In short, it's going to be a long, long time before the Yankees see another All Star Game at home if history is any indicator. The Los Angeles Dodgers have not hosted an All Star Game in 34 years and could not before at least 2017 while the Yankees held an All Star Game just six seasons ago. Obviously the difference between the Dodgers and the Yankees here is that the Yankees have a new stadium and the Dodgers do not but we’ve seen All-Star Games in recent memory at both Wrigley Field and Fenway Park so that probably won’t factor into the decision making much.

Even back in the 40's when there were not 30 stadiums to choose from Major League Baseball went at least 15 seasons in between All Star Games in the same venue. I couldn't see the Yankees getting an All Star Game before 2020 unfortunately, and that may be pushing it. Of course this is all speculations, with the new stadium in the Bronx Major League Baseball may want to jump on the newness of the building and host an All Star Game there sooner, but I doubt it. Stay tuned.. 

2015 MLB All-Star Game Thread

Major League Baseball’s Mid-Summer Classic is about ready to start as Joe Buck prepares for introductions and first pitch baseball. The American League and the National League will face off head-to-head for the 86^th time tonight inside the home of the Cincinnati Reds, the Great American Ball Park. Earlier we took a look at the complete rosters for both clubs and now we take a look at the starting lineups for both Ned Yost’s American League club and Bruce Bochy’s National League club.

American League

1. Mike Trout - CF

2. Josh Donaldson – 3B

3. Albert Pujols – 1B

4. Nelson Cruz - DH

5. Lorenzo Cain - RF

6. Adam Jones - LF

7. Salvador Perez – C

8. Jose Altuve – 2B

9. Alcides Escobar - SS

National League

1. Andrew McCutchen - CF

2. Todd Frazier – 3B

3. Bryce Harper RF

4. Paul Goldschmidt – 1B

5. Buster Posey - C

6. Anthony Rizzo - DH

7. Jhonny Peralta - SS

8. Joc Pederson - LF

9. DJ LeMahiue – 2B

The game will be televised on FOX. Head over to Twitter and follow @GreedyStripes to chat during the game and to root on the Yankees trio of representatives Dellin Betances, Mark Teixeira and Brett Gardner. 

2015 MLB All-Star Game Preview

Tonight on FOX the 86^th annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game will take place inside the home of the Cincinnati Reds. In just a few short hours the Great American Ball Park, which saw some of the league’s best home run hitters display their power last night and which saw the future of the sport showcasing their talents on Sunday, will see 76 of the best MLB players facing off head-to-head for bragging rights for their respected leagues and home field advantage in the World Series. The game will be played at 8:05 pm ET and can be seen on FOX as Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros starts for the American League and will face off against Zack Greinke of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League.

Here are the rosters for both teams tonight:

American League:

C: Salvador Perez

1B: Albert Pujols

2B: Jose Altuve

SS: Alcides Escobar

3B: Josh Donaldson

LF: Adam Jones

CF: Mike Trout

RF: Lorenzo Cain

DH: Nelson Cruz

Catchers: Russell Martin and Stephen Vogt.

Infielders: Mark Teixeira, Jason Kipnis, Brock Holt, Brian Dozier, Manny Machado, Mike Moustakas, Jose Iglesias, Prince Fielder.

Outfielders: Brett Gardner, JD Martinez.

Pitchers: Chris Archer, Dellin Betances, Brad Boxberger, Zach Britton, Wade Davis, Hector Santiago, Kelvin Herrera, Felix Hernandez, Dallas Keuchel, Darren O’Day, Glen Perkins, David Price, Chris Sale.

IR: Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera, Kansas City LF Alex Gordon

Sonny Gray replaced due to pitching on Sunday.

National League:

C. Buster Posey

1B: Paul Goldschmidt

2B: DJ LeMahieu

SS: Jhonny Peralta

3B: Todd Frazier

LF: Joc Pederson

CF: Andrew McCutchen

RF: Bryce Harper

Catchers: Yasmani Grandal, Yadier Molina.

Infielders: Adrian Gonzalez, Anthony Rizzo, Joe Panik, Troy Tulowitzki, Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant, Brandon Crawford.

Outfielders: Ryan Braun, AJ Pollock, Justin Upton.

Pitchers: Madison Bumgarner, AJ Burnett, Clayton Kershaw, Aroldis Chapman, Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom, Zack Greinke, Carlos Martinez, Mark Melancon, Shelby Miller, Jonathan Papelbon, Francisco Rodriguez, Trevor Rosenthal, Michael Wacha.

IR: Miami RF Giancarlo Stanton, St. Louis RF Matt Holliday, Miami 2B Dee Gordon.

Max Scherzer ineligible after pitching Sunday.

This should be a fun game with all the rookies and first-timers attending and whether you feel like the game should count or not I think you should watch it. Let the debates about changing the game happen when we have nothing to watch on Wednesday and Thursday, tonight Major League Baseball’s best and brightest stars take center stage in the All-Star Game. Go Teixeira, go Betances and go Gardner! Pete Rose, just go away. 

TGP Daily Poll: American League Reigns Supreme

The American League and the National League face off head-to-head on Tuesday night inside Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park for Major League Baseball’s 86^th annual All-Star Game. The American League will win this game.

Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com.

Just for fun I’ll throw a score out there and say that the American League takes down the National League by the final score of 6-2.  Mark Teixeira will go hitless while Dellin Betances pitches a scoreless 7^th inning. Brett Gardner will walk, steal a base and score a run in the contest.