The Empire Strikes Back, Dodgers-Style...

Credit:  LA Times - Robert Gauthier

2017 World Series

Dodgers 6, Astros 2...

Series Tied, 2-2

The Dodgers ensured that the World Series will begin and end in Los Angeles with their victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. They may not win but Dodger Stadium will be the site of the next World Series Champions.  

This has been a very good World Series and Saturday's game certainly added to the collection of classics. Dodgers starter Alex Wood carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. When he gave up a hit, albeit a home run, he was gone and it was time for the Dodgers bullpen. Similarly, Houston's Charlie Morton picked up where he left off against the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS. The former Pirates starter, whom I always viewed...maybe unfairly...as very average, was magnificent with a three-hitter of his own. Neither starter figured in the outcome of the game which was decided in the ninth inning battle of Closers.  

The Dodgers started the game right when Chris Taylor led off with a single to center. Corey Seager struck out and Justin Turner got under a pitch to pop out to short. Then, with Cody Bellinger at bat, Taylor tried to do a delayed steal against catcher Brian McCann. Wrong move. McCann to shortstop Carlos Correa at second easily erased Taylor and ended the inning.  

Credit:  LA Times - Robert Gauthier

Wood and Morton battled through the early part of the game in a very good pitching duel. While Wood was still pitching his no-hitter, the Dodgers had their first real chance for runs in the top of the 6th. Austin Barnes, leading off, was hit by a pitch on the right forearm. After Joc Pederson flied out to left, Enrique "Kiké" Hernandez singled into right center field to put runners at the corners. Chris Taylor hit a grounder to third and Barnes broke for home. Third baseman Alex Bregman took the grounder and threw it to Brian McCann to nail Barnes before he could reach safely reach the plate. 

Credit:  LA Times - Wally Skalij

Hernandez moved to second but he would stay there when Corey Seager flied out to left to end the threat with no runs for Blue.  

In the bottom of the 6th, Wood kept his no-no intact for the first two hitters. Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to third (nice recovery by third baseman Justin Turner after knocking down the ball) and Brian McCann struck out. It brought George Springer to the plate. Three successive balls and a strike put Springer in a very favorable hitter's count. On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Wood tried to place an 82 mph curveball over the plate. Springer got all of the ball to send it airmail high over the left field wall.  

Credit:  LA Times - Wally Skalij

End of Wood's no-hitter, end of Wood's scoreless outing, and end of Wood. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, taking no chances, went to the pen and brought in Brandon Morrow. Morrow finished off Alex Bregman by getting him to ground out to third, but the Astros led, 1-0.

The Dodgers tied the game in the top of the 7th inning. With Charlie Morton still on the mound, Cody Bellinger's bat woke up (0-for-13 with eight strikeouts) when he rapped a one-out double to deep left into one of those weird angles in Minute Maid Park.  

Credit:  AP - David J Phillip

Astros manager A.J. Hinch came out, removing Morton after a brief talk, and brought in reliever Will Harris. Yasiel Puig flied out to right for the second out to bring former Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe to the plate. Forsythe came up with perhaps the biggest hit of his career when he singled to left center, with Bellinger racing around third to easily score. Austin Barnes hit into a fielder's choice that erased Forsythe at second, ending the inning, but at least the Dodgers had made it a tie game.

After a quiet 8th inning for both teams, the game moved into the 9th. The Astros brought closer Ken Giles into the game, replacing Chris Devenski. Corey Seager singled to right center, past a diving Jose Altuve, and the Dodgers were in business. Justin Turner worked a walk to put runners at first and second.  Cody Bellinger, with renewed confidence after his hit in the 7th, doubled to  left center to score Seager. Turner held up at third.  Hinch pulled his closer at that point and brought in Joe Musgrove. The Dodgers also replaced Turner at third with Charlie Culberson. After Musgrove struck out Yasiel Puig, Logan Forsythe was intentionally walked to load the bases and create the potential double play opportunity. Austin Barnes lofted a sacrifice fly to right, deep enough to easily score Culberson. The Dodgers were up, 3-1. Next up was Joc Pederson, who struggled during the 2017 regular season including time in the minors. Redemption was delivered in the form of a 408 feet shot to right for a three-run homer.  

Credit:  LA Times - Robert Gauthier

The Dodgers had taken a commanding 6-1 lead. Meanwhile, closer Kenley Jansen was continuing to warm in the Dodgers bullpen. Kiké Hernandez flied out to left to send the game to the bottom of the 9th with the Dodgers holding the five-run lead.

Time for Kenley Jansen. Brian McCann had the first shot.  He laid down a bunt on the left side but Carlos Correa reacted quickly and his throw to first beat the slow-footed McCann. George Springer struck out and the Dodgers were just one out away from victory. Alex Bregman had other ideas and his shot to the short wall in left gave the Astros their second run of the game. The last lick (term courtesy of Michael Kay) was made by Jose Altuve who flied out to center to end the game. Dodgers win, 6-2!

It was great to see Cody Bellinger finally erupt. No home runs from the young slugger but his doubles were instrumental in the victory. As the Aaron Judge of the Dodgers, Bellinger is the key for Blue. After the win, Bellinger said, "It's a beautiful game". Yes, it is.

Credit:  LA Times - Wally Skalij

There were plenty of comments after the game that referred to Astros closer Ken Giles as Houston's version of Dellin Betances. Ouch. Dellin has some image rehabilitation to do. There's one way to do that...performance.

After team congratulations on the field, I liked the way Clayton Kershaw, by himself, walked to the pitcher's mound and looked down toward home plate for a preview of Sunday night. The tall Texan has a chance to put the Dodgers ahead in the World Series tonight on his native Lone Star turf. Whichever team grabs the win today will hold a tremendous advantage when the series resumes on Tuesday in Chavez Ravine.mLike the games before it, it should be an outstanding game and another classic.  

Editor's Note:  This writer is pro-Dodgers.

Odds & Ends...

I think it was Ken Rosenthal who mentioned it first, but the hottest name bubbling on the rumor mill yesterday for Yankees manager was Jerry Hairston, Jr. J-Hair has been a Dodgers broadcaster since he retired in 2013. I like Hairston but the lack of managerial experience, or more importantly coaching experience, is troublesome. I'd love to have a guy like Hairston on the coaching staff but I think manager is a bit of a reach at this point.  

It was awesome to see Yankees Legend Mariano Rivera, the greatest Closer of All-Time, at the World Series, along with Trevor Hoffman, as they participated in the Reliever of the Year Awards for Kenley Jansen (NL) and Craig Kimbrel (AL).  

Credit:  AP - David J Phillip

I really didn't expect Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel to lose time in the World Series for his offensive gestures directed at Dodgers starter Yu Darvish, but I thought the five game suspension with no pay to start the 2018 season was weak. His racial insensitivity was not acceptable and MLB should have made a bigger statement.  

Have a great Sunday! Missing the Pinstripes. Go Yankees!

Evan Longoria Manning Third for New York in 2017? Hmmm Maybe

When Pete Rose talks I have to say that I am not one that usually listens, not anymore lately. I am kind of bitter towards the “Hit Man” if I’m being completely honest after spending so many years defending him and his claim to a spot in the Hall of Fame eventually. Pete not only lied but made me look like a fool but one thing he knows maybe better than gambling and lying is baseball so when he talks about the sport I have to listen. Rose spoke about something Yankees related recently and I have to admit that it makes a ton of sense for New York, it involves making a trade for the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria and plugging him in at the hot corner as soon as the 2017 season. That’s the ultimate “Get Greedy” move that spawned this blog and its name. Well done.

Why does this make sense for New York? The Yankees third basemen combined for an OPS of just .690 last season which ranked them 29^th overall out of 30 teams in Major League Baseball. You don’t have to be a statmatician or a fan of Moneyball to know that 29^th best out of 20 teams means the Yankees got little to no production out of their third basemen in 2016, or as I like to say “Chase Headley sucks.” Headley, who sucks in case you forgot, is set to make $13 million in 2017 and 2018 before finally hitting the free agency market just in time for Miguel Andujar to come up, well assuming the team doesn’t take the Pete Rose suggestion and acquire Evan Longoria from the Tampa Bay Rays first.

Now again this was just a suggestion by Rose as he stated he wanted to see great players like Longoria on bigger market teams who make the postseason and he simply used the Yankees and the Chicago Cubs as examples but the need is definitely there for New York. Longoria wouldn’t come cheap in terms of prospects or dollars as he is still owed $95 million on his current contract with Tampa Bay and presumably the Rays would expect a King’s Ransom for him whether they were trading him within the division or not.

Would Tampa Bay entertain it? Maybe. They traded away everyone else not named Chris Archer and Longoria, have recently traded Logan Forsythe and at least listened to offers for Archer as recently as last season so you never truly know what’s going to happen with the Rays. Stay tuned I guess because Pete Rose may finally be onto something good for the game of Major League Baseball. 

Most Popular Article of the Week: Taking a Stab at the 2018 Yankees Starting Lineup

We’re back taking a stab at predicting the 2018 starting lineup for the New York Yankees. After the 2017 season the contracts of Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia and others come off the books the New York Yankees will no longer have a player under contract that was with the team when George Steinbrenner was alive. Let that sink in for a second before we begin.

Alex Rodriguez ($27.5 million without incentives, $32 million with incentives)

Best available DH position players on the free agent market: Ryan Howard, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, Curtis Granderson, Melky Cabrera, Jay Bruce, Billy Butler, Carlos Santana, Jhonny Peralta, Seth Smith, Todd Frazier, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Brandon Belt.
 

The doors are wide open here for the New York Yankees. An absolute ton of money is coming off the books and so are the players that are hindering the team the most in terms of versatility and flexibility. New York could also sign a catcher like Kurt Suzuki or let John Ryan Murphy and Gary Sanchez handle the duties while Brian McCann transitions into a full-time DH role. The team could also rotate the likes of McCann, Chase Headley and others into the DH slot while signing a full-time infielder like New Jersey boy Todd Frazier. New York does seem to enjoy having a full-time DH though and have for years (Raul Ibanez, Hidek Matsui and Alex Rodriguez come to mind in recent memory) so I can see the team signing a younger Jayson Werth or even a Ryan Howard to a deal, although I’d put my money on the man that actually WANTS to be a Yankee. Mr. Matt Holliday.

CC Sabathia ($25 million)

Nathan Eovaldi (arbitration eligible so we will go with $5 million)

Michael Pineda (arbitration eligible so we will go with $5 million)

Masahiro Tanaka (if he opts out he walks away from $22 million)

Best available SP position players on the free agent market : Francisco Liriano, Ubaldo Jimenez, Clay Buchholz, Jaime Garcia, Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb, Danny Duffy, Jarrod Parker, Tyson Ross, Drew Smyly, Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, Henderson Alvarez and Tyler Chatwood.

This is a big hit to the New York Yankees with potentially four members of their starting rotation hitting free agency at the same time. Truth be told I can see both Eovaldi and Pineda either being extended (the more likely of the two scenarios) or traded (Pineda more so than Eovaldi at this point) but just for fun let's assume they both walk. Without these four on paper the Yankees are left with just Luis Severino on the roster unless the likes of Brady Lail, Rookie Davis, Adam Warren or Bryan Mitchell make the move to the rotation. If the Yankees are in the market for a starting pitcher or two you have to think Tyson Ross, Jake Arrieta or Danny Duffy would be the most attractive. The problem is the Yankees don't often get the biggest names on the free agent market so expect Francisco Liriano or a trade. Again, I can only see Sabathia being a true free agent and Tanaka opting out and ultimately being re-signed assuming health.

Dustin Ackley (arbitration eligible so we will go with $5 million)

Best available 2B position players on the free agent market: Brandon Phillips, Danny Espinosa, Scott Sizemore, Ryan Flaherty, Logan Forsythe, Trevor Plouffe and Eric Sogard.

I listed Ackley as a second basemen for simplicity purposes but really I believe the 27-year old will be used in the infield as well as the outfield in New York. The only player that really fits the mold as far as versatility goes is Logan Forsythe who is listed as a first baseman, second baseman and third baseman according to Baseball Reference. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to see Forsythe learn a corner outfield spot for New York, or the team could go in an entirely different direction and get another outfielder elsewhere, maybe in a Jose Pirela.

Total number of players hitting free agency: 6

Total number of dollars coming off the books: Roughly $92 million with partial incentives

Adding Matt Holliday to a lineup and Logan Forsythe to a bench that already includes Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge (from our 2017 post), Robert Refsnyder, Greg Bird, Brian McCann, Chase Headley and Didi Gregorius you have a lineup that looks like it can mash with the best of them. A lineup that looks similar to the one below.

Ellsbury

Refsnyder

Holliday

McCann

Judge

Bird

Headley

Gardner

Gregorius

This is not the 1929 Yankees as we see it today but two years of seasoning and work from the likes of Refsnyder, Judge and Bird with a familiar face in Marcus Thames as their hitting coach and each and every man on the roster can come a long way. The team will be versatile, flexible and the offense has the potential to be downright unfair at times. The way the Yankees offense used to be when the team was winning World Series championships.

Taking a Stab at the 2018 Yankees Starting Lineup

We’re back taking a stab at predicting the 2018 starting lineup for the New York Yankees. After the 2017 season the contracts of Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia and others come off the books the New York Yankees will no longer have a player under contract that was with the team when George Steinbrenner was alive. Let that sink in for a second before we begin. 

Alex Rodriguez ($27.5 million without incentives, $32 million with incentives)

Best available DH position players on the free agent market: Ryan Howard, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, Curtis Granderson, Melky Cabrera, Jay Bruce, Billy Butler, Carlos Santana, Jhonny Peralta, Seth Smith, Todd Frazier, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Brandon Belt.
 

The doors are wide open here for the New York Yankees. An absolute ton of money is coming off the books and so are the players that are hindering the team the most in terms of versatility and flexibility. New York could also sign a catcher like Kurt Suzuki or let John Ryan Murphy and Gary Sanchez handle the duties while Brian McCann transitions into a full-time DH role. The team could also rotate the likes of McCann, Chase Headley and others into the DH slot while signing a full-time infielder like New Jersey boy Todd Frazier. New York does seem to enjoy having a full-time DH though and have for years (Raul Ibanez, Hidek Matsui and Alex Rodriguez come to mind in recent memory) so I can see the team signing a younger Jayson Werth or even a Ryan Howard to a deal, although I’d put my money on the man that actually WANTS to be a Yankee. Mr. Matt Holliday.

CC Sabathia ($25 million)

Nathan Eovaldi (arbitration eligible so we will go with $5 million)

Michael Pineda (arbitration eligible so we will go with $5 million)

Masahiro Tanaka (if he opts out he walks away from $22 million)

Best available SP position players on the free agent market : Francisco Liriano, Ubaldo Jimenez, Clay Buchholz, Jaime Garcia, Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb, Danny Duffy, Jarrod Parker, Tyson Ross, Drew Smyly, Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, Henderson Alvarez and Tyler Chatwood.

This is a big hit to the New York Yankees with potentially four members of their starting rotation hitting free agency at the same time. Truth be told I can see both Eovaldi and Pineda either being extended (the more likely of the two scenarios) or traded (Pineda more so than Eovaldi at this point) but just for fun let's assume they both walk. Without these four on paper the Yankees are left with just Luis Severino on the roster unless the likes of Brady Lail, Rookie Davis, Adam Warren or Bryan Mitchell make the move to the rotation. If the Yankees are in the market for a starting pitcher or two you have to think Tyson Ross, Jake Arrieta or Danny Duffy would be the most attractive. The problem is the Yankees don't often get the biggest names on the free agent market so expect Francisco Liriano or a trade. Again, I can only see Sabathia being a true free agent and Tanaka opting out and ultimately being re-signed assuming health.  

Dustin Ackley (arbitration eligible so we will go with $5 million)

Best available 2B position players on the free agent market: Brandon Phillips, Danny Espinosa, Scott Sizemore, Ryan Flaherty, Logan Forsythe, Trevor Plouffe and Eric Sogard.

I listed Ackley as a second basemen for simplicity purposes but really I believe the 27-year old will be used in the infield as well as the outfield in New York. The only player that really fits the mold as far as versatility goes is Logan Forsythe who is listed as a first baseman, second baseman and third baseman according to Baseball Reference. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to see Forsythe learn a corner outfield spot for New York, or the team could go in an entirely different direction and get another outfielder elsewhere, maybe in a Jose Pirela.

Total number of players hitting free agency: 6

Total number of dollars coming off the books: Roughly $92 million with partial incentives

Adding Matt Holliday to a lineup and Logan Forsythe to a bench that already includes Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge (from our 2017 post), Robert Refsnyder, Greg Bird, Brian McCann, Chase Headley and Didi Gregorius you have a lineup that looks like it can mash with the best of them. A lineup that looks similar to the one below.

Ellsbury

Refsnyder

Holliday

McCann

Judge

Bird

Headley

Gardner

Gregorius

This is not the 1929 Yankees as we see it today but two years of seasoning and work from the likes of Refsnyder, Judge and Bird with a familiar face in Marcus Thames as their hitting coach and each and every man on the roster can come a long way. The team will be versatile, flexible and the offense has the potential to be downright unfair at times. The way the Yankees offense used to be when the team was winning World Series championships. 

Recap: Yankees 4, Rays 1

Slade Heathcott hit a dramatic three-run home run in the ninth and the Yankees rallied to beat the Rays, 4-1, on Monday night at Tropicana Field.

The Ultimate Bailout: Making his first at-bat of the evening with two on and two out, Heathcott drilled a Brad Boxberger fastball into the first row in left -- breaking a 1-1 tie in the most unexpected of fashions. Heathcott was playing in his first big-league game since May 27, and had only come in as a defensive replacement in the eighth.

What Else Did You Expect?: Alex Rodriguez preceded Heathcott's blast with a clutch RBI double of his own, a line-drive to the right-center field gap to plate Brett Gardner. The Yankees appeared done following a Jacoby Ellsbury double play, but after Gardner walked and stole second, a spark of hope was ignited within them.

Like Old Times: The often-erratic CC Sabathia kept the Rays off the board for 6 2/3 innings, yielding just three measly singles while walking two and strking out six. Sabathia -- aided in no way by Brendan Ryan's fielding error -- found himself in a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second, but escaped without damage when Kevin Kiermaier grounded into a force-out and J.P. Arencibia flied to left.

Not What You Want: Justin Wilson, working the eighth even though Dellin Betances was seen warming up, surrendered a go-ahead double to Logan Forsythe, putting the Yankees in a 1-0 hole one couldn't help but find unsurprising. Wilson didn't seem to have his best stuff from the beginning, and at 28 pitches, it wasn't that strange that number 29 went off the wall.

Near No-No: The Yankees didn't record their first hit off Erasmo Ramirez until the eighth, when a hot-shot from Carlos Beltran deflected into right. The single would remain the lone knock on Ramirez's final line, which included 7 2/3 innings of six-strikeout ball.

Next Up: The Yankees will look to continue their success in St. Petersburg with another matchup on Tuesday, sending Adam Warren (6-6, 3.29 ERA) to the hill versus Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi (7-8, 3.21 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET, airing live on YES and WFAN.

Recap: Yankees 6, Rays 4

Brian McCann hit a game-tying three-run shot in the sixth and Alex Rodriguez followed it up with a solo blast of his own as the Yankees edged the Rays, 6-4, on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Just What They Needed: McCann drilled a Chris Archer fastball high into the right-field stands, evening the score at three after a dominant early-going by the Rays' righty. Rodriguez then clubbed the go-ahead homer on the very next pitch, lifting a hanging slider into the fourth row in right-center for his 28th long ball of the year.

Super Solid: Ivan Nova surrendered three earned runs in the first three innings, but bounced back from there for a second straight quality start. Nova's final line included six frames and three strikeouts, a Kevin Kiermaier two-run home run and a Logan Forsythe RBI single accounting for the visitors' offense.

The Insurance Agent: Didi Gregorius used some heads-up base-running to score on a throwing error in the seventh, adding further insurance with a bases-loaded single in the eighth. The Rays had been trying to turn a double play when Forsythe's seventh-inning heave to first went wide, allowing Gregorius to sprint home from third with the Yanks' fifth run (unearned) off Archer.

An Unusual Occurence: The normally-perfect Dellin Betances served up a solo bomb to Asdrubal Cabrera in the eighth, a no-doubter to the upper-deck in right to cut the Yankees' lead to one. It was just the fourth time this season Betances has been taken deep, all of which have interestingly come in the Bronx.

Holding On: Andrew Miller yielded a pair of singles with two out in the ninth, putting men on the corners for pinch-hitter Brandon Guyer. Guyer, however, was hopeless in his attempts to hit Miller -- striking out awkwardly on just four pitches as the closer sealed the victory.

Next Up: The Yankees continue this homestand with a visit from the Orioles on Monday, sending Michael Pineda (10-8, 4.07 ERA) to the mound versus lefty Wei-Yin Chen (8-7, 3.36 ERA). First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET, airing live on YES and ESPN.

Roberts' 9th Inning Homer Wasted in Extras as Yankees Drop Third Straight to Rays, 4-3

Going into this season's trade deadline, it's common knowledge that the Yankees have a lot of holes to fill. 

With Michael Pineda set to miss most of summer and the entire infield struggling to hit above .250, it's obvious that a solid starter and a reliable bat would be much appreciated, although after tonight the Yanks just might have one more kind of player to acquire.

A long reliever.

Yes, that notion sounds a little dumb, but after Jose Ramirez blew another game this evening it just might become legitimate, as the Bombers fell to the Rays again, 4-3.

To start off his top of the twelfth outing, Ramirez actually retired the always-dangerous Evan Longoria and James Loney, a success that quickly went for nothing, as the youngster would go on to walk Brandon Guyer and surrender an RBI Single to Logan Forsythe that broke the tie.

That sudden and painful collapse wasted a pair of scoreless innings the Yankees had gotten from the struggling Shawn Kelley, as well as a huge, game-continuing solo home run from Brian Roberts in the bottom of the ninth. 

Prior to those seemingly momentum-shifting occurrences, David Phelps also gave the Bombers 5.2 frames of two-run ball (solo homers from Matt Joyce and Kevin Kiermaier), almost matching the line of the Rays' Chris Archer, who, besides an Brett Gardner triple and Derek Jeter groundout in New York's half of the third, was great in his 21-out performance.

Still, as I said earlier, everything the Yanks did in this one ended up being worthless, as they dropped to an ugly 2-7 in their last nine contests, 2.5 games out of the division lead, and 3 games out of the second and final wild card spot, again proving that things are not actually getting better for them.

Yankees Have Asked Padres About Infielders

Sources: Yankees have made trade inquiry to Padres about infield depth; Logan Forsythe is the most realistic target, not Chase Headley.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 14, 2014

The San Diego Padres have some depth in the infield and the New York Yankees have recently asked them about their availability. While it is probably unlikely that the Yankees have the pieces to acquire a Chase Headley, although I can dream, Jon Paul Morosi tweeted that the Yankees may be interested in utility man Logan Forsythe. I kind of want to believe that the Yankees have enough utility type infielders at this point, especially light hitting ones like Forsythe but what do I know.

Forsythe has a triple slash of .241/.310/.349 over the last three seasons and has 57 stolen bases to go with it. Most recently though Forsythe posted a .214/.281/.332 in 2013 after a strong 2012. The idea of making this trade does not excite me...