The NLCS Pitching vs. Offense Breakdown

You know what they say about the playoffs, pitching and defense wins championships. Now thanks to great sites like Baseball Reference and Fangraphs we could all nerd out and compare these two defenses against one another but what is the fun in that? Especially on a Saturday, so instead we’ll focus on the pitching. What has the pitching for both the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers done against each other’s offense throughout their careers? Once again, thanks to great sites like Baseball Reference Fangraphs and this time ESPN we can easily find out. Enjoy as we get ready for the beginning of the NLCS here in a few short hours. Until then, enjoy your Saturday or Game Two of the ALCS that will also start here in a couple hours.

Jon Lester vs. Los Angeles

Kyle Hendricks vs. Los Angeles

Jake Arrieta vs. Los Angeles

John Lackey vs. Los Angeles

Kenta Maeda vs. Chicago

Kenta has never faced a single Chicago Cubs player

TBA vs. Chicago

TBA vs. Chicago

TBA vs. Chicago

Come on Dodgers, name some pitchers already! Will update when they do but right now it's speculated that Clayton Kershaw will start Game Two despite pitching in relief in Game 5 against the Nationals.

ICYMI: The Yankees, Contrary to Popular Belief & Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13^th and for many than means bad omens, curses and generally just some bad luck throughout the day. I’m not a huge believer in coincidences, although I am a firm believer in karma, and I believe Friday the 13^th to just be another day on the calendar that was dramatized by a Hollywood movie. It’s hard to deny though that some freaky things have happened on this day in history and some of the most superstitious people in America being baseball players really step up their games on this day. Let’s focus on a few of the more superstitious players in MLB history and some of the “contrary to popular belief” facts that come along with this day.

Contrary to popular belief a black cat can walk across your path and you’ll probably be okay. Unless you’re the Chicago Cubs or the Boston Red Sox. Then I may be worried. 

Contrary to popular belief on Friday the 13th it is NOT okay to refuse to change your underwear during a Tigers winning streak in 2011 like Jim Leyland did. 

Contrary to popular belief on Friday the 13^th it IS okay to sleep with your bat while on a hot streak. Ask Richie Ashburn. 

Contrary to popular belief on Friday the 13^th you HAVE to make right-handed turns. Kevin Rhomberg refused to make right-handed turns on a baseball field and he also had this weird obsession that if you touched him he had to touch you back. I’m serious, his nickname was “Touch Me, Touch Me.” If you don’t believe there is a story of Rick Sutcliffe once reaching under a bathroom stall to touch Rhomberg on the toe. Rhomberg didn’t know who touched him so he proceeded to go around the clubhouse and touch and each every player, coach and manager. 

Contrary to popular belief on Friday the 13^th you CAN ask for a new ball after every hit. Mark Fidrych did it and this, along with his “Bird” routine on the mound, and no one really seemed to mind. They have plenty of baseball and Fidrych didn’t give up that many hits anyway. The mistrust of the ball probably stems back to him talking to the ball before the pitch, quite vividly sometimes, as a bond or friendship was obviously formed before being broken when hit for a single. 

Contrary to popular belief you can have WHATEVER you want to eat before and after a MLB game. Justin Verlander eats tacos before every start, Wade Boggs ate fried chicken and half of the Boston Red Sox pitching staff ate chicken and drank beer in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s. It’s baseball and we’re all adults. 

Contrary to popular belief the Yankees can beat Chris Sale on Friday the 13^th… Let’s make it happen. 

The Yankees, Contrary to Popular Belief & Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13^th and for many than means bad omens, curses and generally just some bad luck throughout the day. I’m not a huge believer in coincidences, although I am a firm believer in karma, and I believe Friday the 13^th to just be another day on the calendar that was dramatized by a Hollywood movie. It’s hard to deny though that some freaky things have happened on this day in history and some of the most superstitious people in America being baseball players really step up their games on this day. Let’s focus on a few of the more superstitious players in MLB history and some of the “contrary to popular belief” facts that come along with this day.

Contrary to popular belief a black cat can walk across your path and you’ll probably be okay. Unless you’re the Chicago Cubs or the Boston Red Sox. Then I may be worried. 

Contrary to popular belief on Friday the 13th it is NOT okay to refuse to change your underwear during a Tigers winning streak in 2011 like Jim Leyland did. 

Contrary to popular belief on Friday the 13^th it IS okay to sleep with your bat while on a hot streak. Ask Richie Ashburn. 

Contrary to popular belief on Friday the 13^th you HAVE to make right-handed turns. Kevin Rhomberg refused to make right-handed turns on a baseball field and he also had this weird obsession that if you touched him he had to touch you back. I’m serious, his nickname was “Touch Me, Touch Me.” If you don’t believe there is a story of Rick Sutcliffe once reaching under a bathroom stall to touch Rhomberg on the toe. Rhomberg didn’t know who touched him so he proceeded to go around the clubhouse and touch and each every player, coach and manager. 

Contrary to popular belief on Friday the 13^th you CAN ask for a new ball after every hit. Mark Fidrych did it and this, along with his “Bird” routine on the mound, and no one really seemed to mind. They have plenty of baseball and Fidrych didn’t give up that many hits anyway. The mistrust of the ball probably stems back to him talking to the ball before the pitch, quite vividly sometimes, as a bond or friendship was obviously formed before being broken when hit for a single. 

Contrary to popular belief you can have WHATEVER you want to eat before and after a MLB game. Justin Verlander eats tacos before every start, Wade Boggs ate fried chicken and half of the Boston Red Sox pitching staff ate chicken and drank beer in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s. It’s baseball and we’re all adults. 

Contrary to popular belief the Yankees can beat Chris Sale on Friday the 13^th… Let’s make it happen. 

David Ortiz & Perennial Yankees Killers During my Lifetime

As much as I hate to admit this you have to respect what David Ortiz has done in his major league career. Sure you have the controversy of the failed steroid test and the Mitchell Report inclusion that wasn’t an inclusion because a Boston-area Senator was in charge of the report but if you can presume that he has been clean since, and every drug test he’s taken has suggested that he is, then you still have to think he has Hall of Fame numbers. Numbers, I didn’t say credentials. While his Hall of Fame credentials may always be up for debate and the fact that he has as many failed tests as Alex Rodriguez has may be as well you cannot deny the fact that he’s been a perennial Yankee killer. In fact there have been quite a few during my lifetime and we will showcase them here this evening in honor, for lack of a better word, of Ortiz.

Ortiz once had a teammate, speaking of failed steroid tests, in Manny Ramirez that made up one of the toughest middle-of-the-lineups in my recent memory. Ramirez faced the Yankees in 203 games and hit a monster 55 home runs against them with 165 RBI and a .322 batting average. Ramirez killed just about every team though. 

Speaking of Ortiz, Ramirez and the Red Sox there was a trio of starting pitchers that the Yankees simply could not get to on most nights consistently. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey all shut down some of the greatest offenses of my lifetime starting with Beckett in the 2003 World Series and ending with Lester and Lackey most recently before being traded away by the Red Sox. 

Speaking of the pitching side of things I can remember Roy Halladay mowing down Yankees with tons of consistency. It didn’t matter who the mighty Yankees sent at Halladay in his years with the Toronto Blue Jays the man they called Doc set them down with ease. I halfway remember skipping games on purpose that he pitched to save myself the aggravation. 

The final pair of teammates to completely torment the Yankees date back to my early years as a fan. Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez absolutely destroyed the New York Yankees. I can remember Tino Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. trading home runs on a Saturday afternoon in the Bronx more than once and it always seemed like the Mariners got the better of the Yankees. It started in 1995 in the ALDS and it went on that way until the Yankees beat the 116-win Mariners in 2001. Edgar killed Yankees closer Mariano Rivera at the plate, one of the few that could say that, and Griffey killed anyone and everyone put in front of him during his prime. All because as a child he got kicked out of the Yankees clubhouse when his father, Ken Griffey Sr., was a member of the team. Way to hold a grudge kid!

Key Dates for the 2016 MLB Regular Season

On Sunday, April 3 the 2016 MLB regular season kicks off with a rematch of the 2015 World Series between the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals. Most everyone else is in action on April 4 as the 2016 season kicks off and here are a few more key dates for you for this upcoming season. Keep this bookmarked in case you need it.

April 18^th, a Monday in case you were wondering, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs renew their rivalry for the new season with former Cardinals Jason Heyward and John Lackey making their debuts against their former team.

The first Yankees vs. Red Sox game is on Friday, April 29 in Fenway Park while the first game inside Yankee Stadium comes on Friday, May 6^th.

On Friday, July 15 Zack Greinke and the Arizona Diamondbacks face off with his former team the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time after leaving this winter in free agency. The Dodgers are many people’s pick to win the division but the Diamondbacks are not going to go down without a fight.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza take their place amongst the greatest in MLB history when the 2016 Hall of Fame induction ceremony goes down on July 24, 2016. That’s a Sunday by the way.

August 1^st, not July 31^st, is the trade deadline this season. Why? Because July 31^st is on a Sunday. #LOGIC

Tuesday, September 27^th will mark the final time David Ortiz steps into Yankee Stadium during the regular season. How will he be honored and will he get his standing ovation? Stay tuned. 

Fantasy Baseball: The Undervalued & the Unappreciated

By now a lot of you have already had your fantasy baseball drafts but if you haven’t then I have some last minute crunch time additions for you to read over as you prepare. Over the course of the winter we have gone over the players that many don’t know about, many call them sleepers, but today we will go over some of the more recognizable names around the league. These names are recognizable in most households but in my opinion they are truly under-appreciated and undervalued as far as fantasy baseball goes. Well they were before today anyway. 

We begin with Justin Upton who has been playing in some of the most pitcher friendly ballparks in all of Major League Baseball over the past few seasons. While Turner Field in Atlanta is far from the spacious outfield in Petco Park it’s still tough to hit a home run there and Upton still has 26-plus home run seasons in four of his last five seasons. Him moving to Comerica Park in Detroit shouldn’t affect him too much in the power department and shouldn’t affect his 20 stolen base capability per season either. 

Like many positions the first base position is pretty top heavy but near the bottom of the upper tier is Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Quietly A-Gon consistently puts up 20 home run and 85 RBI seasons every single year and not many people talk about it. Must be all those West Coast games. 

We’ve said it many times before and we’ll say it again, even the worst teams in the league that lose 100+ games per season will get you 30-50 saves in a year. While the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox are far from the worst teams in the league and while neither will lose 100 games in my opinion they will both struggle to compete in their divisions. That doesn’t mean Zach Britton won’t strike out another 10 batters per nine innings and save 35 games again and that doesn’t mean David Robertson wont strike out closer to 12 batters per nine innings and save you 40 games in 2016. 

Matt Wieters enters 2016 in his second year removed from Tommy John surgery. I know the surgery doesn’t affect position players the same way it affects pitchers but it also affects everyone differently. I truly believe that many of his struggles in 2015 were due to the elbow ligament replacement surgery and in his second year removed I think we see more of the 22-ish home run power we saw from 2011-2013 and less of the product we saw in 2015 going forward. 

Most people only spoke about the first half Yordano Ventura that struggled with his command and effectiveness and not enough people noticed his second half correction. Ventura went back to striking out guys at an alarming rate during the second half of the 2015 season due in large part to a spike in first pitch strikes. If he can harness some control and keep batters off the base paths his defense and Kauffman Stadium should help him finally harness that huge potential in 2016. 

The final player is Jason Hammel. Hammel is living in the shadow of Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and now John Lackey but Hammel has all the makings of being one of the best fourth or fifth starters in the major leagues this season. He is a consistent 9.0 K/9 ratio and a below 4.00 ERA every single season with a ton of innings. With this Cubs offense behind him he may win 15 games, all he has to do is keep it close. 

Fantasy Baseball: Who Are the Chicago Cubs?

Fantasy Baseball is just around the corner and it’s never too early to start doing your homework on your league and your team specifically. We went over a team already that I personally thought many wouldn’t know in the Atlanta Braves so I wanted to go back into your comfort zone with today’s team, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs added a few key pieces to an already young and stacked team as they look to not only compete in the National League Central Division but as they look to break that Curse of the Billy Goat. 

You know the names of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist and what they bring to the table but what about the rest of the team? There’s plenty of talent on this Cubs team that you may want to draft but one pitcher you may want to stay away from, at least early on, is John Lackey. Lackey pitched brilliantly in St. Louis last season posting a 2.77 ERA with the Cardinals but the peripherals and other stats paint a different story. Lackey left an amazing 82.6 percent of his batters on base last season and is not likely to duplicate that in 2016, especially with the smaller dimensions inside Wrigley Field and especially with the wind blowing out during all those day games. Lackey also posted the lowest strikeout rate in his last three seasons in 2015 and will be entering his age 37 season in 2016. Stay clear unless it’s late. 

Addison Russell took over for Starlin Castro last season and will have the starting shortstop job until he loses it in 2016. Russell is just 22-years old and has a long way to go in his development but he did show signs of life in the second half of 2015 posting a .259 average with seven home runs in August and September alone. Russell has the potentially, maybe not necessarily in 2016 but soon, to his 30 home runs and steal a ton of bases. Who wouldn’t want that on your fantasy team, especially at the second base position? 

Adam Warren should get a ton of opportunities in Chicago both as a starting pitcher and as a reliever but how will he stack up in fantasy? Well he was easily the Yankees most consistent starter last season outside of Luis Severino and will presumably finally get a shot at a starting gig all season in 2016. For that reason alone Warren should see an uptick in his stats as he struggled in both the bullpen and rotation the first couple appearances after switching from the other. The Yankees tinkered with a pitcher and hurt his value in doing so? Joba, say it ain’t so. 

The final piece to the Cubs piece of the puzzle is right fielder Jorge Soler. Soler is not going to steal you 30 bases a season nor is he going to hit for a .300 average and knock in 120 RBI. He does have the power to hit 30 home runs though as he has shown an ability to hit the ball far when he makes contact. Soler won’t go in the first 10-15 rounds in my opinion unless it’s a pretty deep league so it might be useful to add his occasional power to the end of your draft to boost your team and power your way to another league victory. 

Those are the Chicago Cubs in all their glory. Can they help your team? Absolutely, just be smart about it though and don’t reach for the Soler’s, the Lackey’s or the Javier Baez’s too awful early and you should be just fine.  

The Yankees & the Cubs New Television Network

This isn't really New York Yankees news per se but this has all the makings of affecting the Yankees and their ability to acquire players down the line. The Chicago Cubs are looking to start their own television network by the 2020 season, if not sooner. Currently the Cubs are part of an agreement with Comcast and that deal expires after the 2019 season with an opt-out clause written into the contract. How does this affect the Yankees though? Remember what happened when the Yankees started the YES Network? They became the cash cow that they were during the mid-2000's and the network allowed George Steinbrenner to sign anyone and everyone he wanted. The Cubs network will begin right around the time the Yankees have all their money coming off the books and right around the time, if all things work out the way Chicago hopes, a certain someone named Bryce Harper becomes a free agent.

The Cubs Network is projected to be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 billion. That likely makes the organization more valuable than most clubs in Major League Baseball, maybe even the New York Yankees. Chicago has also signed John Lackey and Jason Heyward this offseason after signing Jon Lester last offseason showing the fans that the team is not afraid to spend money. Add another $300 billion into the pockets of the Cubs organization and no free agent would be out of their grasps potentially. Even Bryce Harper who could receive the first ever $400 million salary  when he hits free agency after the 2018 season. Even if Chicago doesn't have their network up and running by then they will want a big name and face to sell that network and Harper is that guy which could be bad news for the New York Yankees.

The Yankees are no longer 100% reliant on the free agency market which is encouraging for the franchise. The team is finally producing prospects who can compete at the Major League level and their GM Brian Cashman remains heavily active in the trade market in his search for young, cheap and controllable players but when free agents like Harper come around, which is about once or twice in a lifetime, you bid and you bid heavy. Yankees fans are not used to being outbid by other teams when they want a guy but they may be outbid for Harper, and it may be all because of the Chicago Cubs television network.

Deciphering & Predicting the MLB Qualifying Offers

SD - Ian Kennedy

Kennedy is no longer the 20 game winner he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks but he's a good enough pitcher to decline the is qualifying offer and not think twice about it. Kennedy, the former Yankees prospect, will not regret it either. 

SD - Justin Upton

Upton fits the same mold as Kennedy in my opinion. He isn't a 30 home run threat anymore but he's an essential lock for 20-25 home runs and 100 RBI in the right lineup. Upton is on the right side of 30-years old and will likely receive the biggest contract of his career to date this offseason. That all starts with the decline of the qualifying offer. 

TEX - Yovani Gallardo

Gallardo fits the borderline mold of accepting or declining the qualifying offer, although I'm leaning towards him declining. Gallardo isn't an ace but he is an essential lock for 180+ innings and at least a 2.0+ WAR. That's not one-year deal material, he declines ultimately. 

SEA - Hisashi Iwakuma

Iwakuma actually wants to stay in Seattle, reportedly, or at least on the West Coast as close to his home land of Japan as possible. At 34-years old, 35-years old shortly after the 2016 season begins, Iwakuma may opt to take the almost double amount of salary on a one-year deal to stick in Seattle and close to home. ACCEPT. 

WAS - Ian Desmond

Desmond struggled for much of the 2015 season but he has the ability to be a plus offensive weapon at shortstop, traditionally an offensive anemic position. Desmond will reject the offer and some team will give Desmond a good contract, either as a shortstop or a second baseman. 

WAS - Jordan Zimmermann

Zimmermann is likely the best pitcher on the market, he denies it and cashes in huge. 

TOR – Marco Estrada

Estrada had a breakout season in 2015 and seems unlikely to accept a contract offer. Truth be told I’m not sure if anyone expects Estrada to replicate his 2015 season in 2016 and beyond, looking at his stat page it looks to be more of the exception than the rule, but there will be a few teams willing to go three years or longer on him leaving the decision to decline the offer an easy one to make.

CHW – Jeff Samardzija

Samardzija will most definitely decline the offer. When teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox desperately need top of the rotation type pitchers and are willing to bank on his live arm while ignoring the stats you will sign more than one year and $15.8 million.

KC – Alex Gordon

Alex is fresh off a World Series victory and is coming from a team where he could boast that he was one of the main and better offensive contributors on the team. Gordon, along with Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer, led the Royals offense to two consecutive World Series trips and to one World Series title making his decision to decline the offer an obvious one in my opinion.

STL – Jayson Heyward

Heyward is potentially looking at 10-years and $200 million or more. He’s the most obvious player to decline the offer in my opinion.

STL – John Lackey

Lackey is a man of his word and pitched without making trouble for only $500K this season with the St. Louis Cardinals. The raise from $500K to $15.8 million is a substantial one and I think it is one that Lackey will make when he is the first ever to accept a qualifying offer.

CHC- Dexter Fowler

This one I am truly on the fence about. I want to say that Fowler declines the offer but a part of me, maybe a gut feeling, believes he accepts the offer. The other 29 teams won’t be exactly beating down his door to sign him, not that he’s a bad player by any means, especially at an AAV approaching $16 million. Am I allowed to call for a push?

NYM- Daniel Murphy

Murphy went from the goat of the New York Mets to the G.O.A.T of the Mets in about eight at bats this postseason. He’s declining that offer and some sucker will sign him expecting similar results, look at the regular season and postseason splits for Pablo Sandoval and look at the contract the Boston Red Sox gave him. He declines.

BAL – Matt Wieters

Wieters is an interesting case. Wieters missed a significant chunk of time in 2014 and 2015 after having Tommy John surgery and never truly recovered from it in my opinion. His defense and specifically his ability to limit would-be base stealers has decreased along with his offensive production. About the only thing working in Wieters favor though is the fact that the catching position is basically anemic offensively across the league with a few obvious exceptions. Wieters will likely decline the offer and will likely land a modest deal in the neighborhood of three years but one thing we know for 100% fact, Wieters will not go to the New York Yankees as Buck Showalter predicted. I just love bringing up instances of Showalter being wrong, don’t mind me.

BAL – Chris Davis

Chris Davis led the world in home runs in 2015 putting to sleep all the rumors, allegations and questions regarding his power and output after being suspended for illegal drug use in 2014. Davis was suspended for Adderall use in 2014 and responded in a big way in 2015. No way he accepts it, Davis is going to get paid for every single one of those home runs he hit this season and then some.

BAL – Wei-Yin Chen

Chen is not an ace. Chen is left-handed and likely a middle-of-the-rotation type starter for most American League teams. The thing working in Chen’s favor though is that he’s been the ace for the Baltimore Orioles for two seasons now and is American League East and postseason tested. That alone will net him more than one year and $15.8 million. He’ll likely get a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-years and $85 million in my opinion so he will decline.

HOU- Colby Rasmus

When I predicted the qualifying offers on the blog before the season officially ended one of my Twitter followers actually called me an idiot for saying that Rasmus would get one. He didn’t use those exact words, and I’m not going to quote it because they don’t deserve the attention for being a douche bag but I didn’t delete the tweet so it’s out there somewhere if you want to look hard enough, but it was something along the lines of “only an idiot would think Rasmus deserves a qualifying offer.” Well there’s at least two idiots in the world, me and the owner of the Astros. Rasmus would be an idiot to decline it, but he’s an idiot and will (he’s not an idiot, I was being tongue in cheek to stick with the “idiot” theme).

LAD – Zack Greinke

So let me get this straight, he opts out of his deal worth three years and $71 million to accept a qualifying offer? No one really thought that, did they? He declines and receives a Clayton Kershaw-esque deal. Just not from the Yankees.

LAD – Howie Kendrick

Kendrick plays a position that is dryer than the Nevada desert in the middle of the day in July offensively. Kendrick, as far as this free agent class goes anyway, is the Babe Ruth of second baseman so there is no way he accepts the qualifying offer. No way.

LAD- Brett Anderson

Another one I caught flak about when I predicted him receiving a qualifying offer and another one notched in the victory belt for the Greedy Pinstripes. Anderson has a live arm, he always has, and finally put it all together on the mound and in the training room. Anderson will try and bank on the fact, literally, that he had a contract season and he absolutely should. Anderson declines and some team, maybe even the Dodgers, signs him to a longer term deal around three years or so. 

Predicting the 2016 Qualifying Offers

While many fans are still in full blown "MLB Playoffs" mode I myself am more focused on the 2016 season. Sure I have been watching the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals series rooting for the Cubs and I've watched about a game of the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers series but I'm not glued to my television by any means. I am more focused on the New York Yankees and the 2016 season and this week we learned that the qualifying offer for the 2016 season would be set at $15.8 million, up from $15.5 million in 2015.

Which players do I think get a qualifying offer for 2016?

LHP Wei-Yin Chen - Baltimore Orioles
1B/DH Chris Davis - Baltimore Orioles
C Matt Wieters - Baltimore Orioles
OF Jason Heyward - St. Louis Cardinals
RHP Jeff Samardzija - Chicago White Sox
OF Dextor Fowler - Chicago Cubs
RHP Zack Greinke - Los Angeles Dodgers (if he opts out)
OF Alex Gordon - Kansas City Royals (if he declines his player option worth $12.5 million)
RHP Hisashi Iwakuma - Seattle Mariners (They want him back anyway)
RHP John Lackey - St. Louis Cardinals
OF Justin Upton - San Diego Padres
RHP Jordan Zimmerman - Washington Nationals
LHP Brett Anderson - Los Angeles Dodgers
INF Ian Desmond - Washington Nationals
INF Daniel Murphy - New York Mets
OF Colby Rasmus - Houston Astros

Keep in mind that David Price, Gerrardo Parra, Johnny Cueto, Yoenis Cespedes, Tyler Clippard, Marlon Byrd,Austin Jackson, Scott Kazmir, Joakim Soria and Ben Zobrist are not eligible for qualifying offers after being traded during the middle of the 2015 season.

Lester, Lackey, and Gomes Say Adios To Boston

"Hello playoffs, goodbye fried chicken and beer!"

I am almost positive that Jon Lester, John Lackey, and Johnny Gomes didn't really say that but who's keeping score anyway. They have gone to better places and are likely to see the postseason. I truly feel sorry for Yoenis Cespedes. He went from almost a lock of a World Series team to a last place team fresh off a fire sale. I'm sorry Yoenis, you're entitled one David Ortiz Bitch Fit in response. Carry on, Go Yankees!

New York Travels To Pawtucket Tonight To Face Red Sox Triple-A Squad

The Boston Red Sox may throw out a team tonight that more resembles their Triple-A affiliate then a major league team, at least in the pitching department. With the trades of John Lackey to the St. Louis Cardinals, Felix Doubront to the Chicago Cubs, and Jon Lester to the Oakland Athletics the Red Sox went in a full blown fire sale in their pitching department. This comes just in time for the series tonight in Fenway Park with the New York Yankees.

The bad news is the first Yankees pitcher to greet newly acquired Yoenis Cespedes will be Chris Capuano. That could get hairy pretty quick. Guess we will just have to watch and stay tuned. The Yankees need whatever help they can get on and off the field right now and a depleted Boston squad certainly helps. Let’s just hope this isn’t another trap series like the Texas Rangers series turned out to be.

New York needs wins and hopefully they come tonight in Boston, or Pawtucket, or Oz, or wherever the Yankees are playing. Have a good day guys. 

Pineda ejected, offense nonexistent in 5-1 loss to Red Sox

Michael Pineda surrendered two earned runs in 1.2 innings and the bullpen followed him with 3 more unearned trips around the bases tonight as the Yankees dropped the middle game of this series to the Red Sox, 5-1. After getting that fifth out, Pineda was ejected for having pine tar on his neck, already the second time this season he's been caught doing so. 

Anyway, the Bombers offense couldn't do anything this evening against Red Sox starter John Lackey, scoring just once in 8 innings when Alfonso Soriano drove in a run with a sac fly. Besides that, the bats really struggled here, collecting just 8 hits while striking out 14 times to pretty much hand Boston the game. 

Still, the Pinstripes did get some solid relief in this one from Matt Thornton and Adam Warren, who threw 1.1 and 1 scoreless frames respectively. Those performances didn't affect the contest's outcome, but since they still happened I guess it wouldn't hurt to know about them.

John Lackey Tries To Lower His ERA... Meme

I know this is probably a low blow but it was too funny to pass up. Don't worry Boston fans we will have plenty of low blows tonight from the ESPN and their crew tonight directed at the Yankees. Two wrongs don't make it right but it does make it even... Enjoy the game everyone.

Pineda Isn't The Only Cheating Pitcher Pitching Tonight

This is not as much of a John Lackey bashing post as much as it was aimed to put into perspective just how insignificant Michael Pineda's cheating really was. The world lost their ever loving minds when Pineda went out with a little, well since we're being honest it was a whole lot, of pine tar on his right pitching hand. Everyone in and around the league confirmed that the pine tar did not help Pineda do anything but grip the ball better. Pineda cannot get any other advantage such as cutting the ball, velocity, etc from the pine tar but was crucified in social media and on the major sports news outlets, looking at you especially ESPN. Well Pineda is not the only cheating pitcher that will be on the mound tonight.

Lackey divorced his absolutely beautiful wife Krista Lackey in the middle of her fight with breast cancer. Krista had both breasts removed and while fighting the deadly disease had to endure her husband cheating on her. Look, I know probably 95% of ball players cheat on their wives but you don't do it and then divorce them while they are in a fight for their lives. Whatever happened to "in sickness and in health" and until death do you part?

Let's win it for Krista tonight.