ALDS Game 2 - New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays

 The New York Yankees, behind the duo of Cole World and Higgy, sent a huge message to the Tampa Bay Rays last night in Game One of the ALDS, sending Blake Snell and company home crying with a 9-3 loss to take a 1-0 series lead. Tonight for Game Two a little history, and maybe a little animosity, will be on full display as Deivi Garcia becomes the Yankees youngest postseason starter in their franchise's history at 21 years and 140 days old. One thing of note to watch out for in this one is the bad blood that still exists between these two clubs. Giancarlo Stanton put the game out of reach last night with a big grand slam, a monster shot that he kind of posed for, that the Rays pitching, specifically John Curtiss, seemingly took offense to. Will there be retaliation tonight?

Deivi Garcia made six starts this season, posting a 4.98 ERA along the way, and will make the biggest start of his young career tonight for the Bombers. Deivi will surpass Whitey Ford (1950 World Series) as the youngest starter in Yankees postseason history when he takes the mound tonight for the Yankees. 

Tyler Glasnow has already faced the Yankees three times this season, which can only help the Bronx Bombers offense in my opinion, posting a 1-1 record with a 3.77 ERA with 22 strikeouts in just 14.1 innings pitched. The Yankees have been able to get to Glasnow, take their walks, and get him out of the game while getting into the Rays bullpen, which is undoubtedly the plan again tonight. 

The game will be played at 8:10 pm ET inside San Diego's Petco Park and can be seen nationally on TBS. 

Why I'm Not Afraid of Shane Bieber for Game One Tonight

 The New York Yankees begin their quest for the franchise's 28th World Series Championship tonight inside Progressive Field when the team takes on the Cleveland Indians in Game One of the AL Wild Card Round. The Yankees will have their ace on the mound, Gerrit Cole, while the Indians will counter with an ace of their own in Shane Bieber. Bieber has had an amazing 2020 campaign which included him winning the Triple Crown for pitchers, leading both leagues in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. That would normally spell disaster for the Bombers in October, but for some reason (and maybe it is actually having an ace of our own on our side this time around) I still feel confident tonight with Cole on the mound. Bieber is tough, but Bieber is not unbeatable, and here is why. 

Pros: 

• Bieber has a batting average against of .092 this season when the ball is hit to an infielder, but has a BAA of .506 when hit to an outfielder. Easier said than done, but don't hit it to an infielder and the Yankees should be fine... right?

 

• Bieber has never started a postseason game. Fans or not, that means something in my opinion. 

 

• Bieber is susceptible to damage in the second inning, posting a 3.75 ERA in the second inning in 2020. 

 

• Bieber compiled many of his stats against opposing team's offenses that do not stand up well when compared to the Yankees offensive capabilities. Facing DJLM, Judge, Voit, Stanton, etc. is not the same as facing Detroit, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Milwaukee or even Cincinnati. 

 

• We still have Gerrit Cole on our side.

Cons:

• Bieber has not allowed a single home run inside Progressive Field in 2020. Zero. 

 

• Bieber has been money with five and six days rest, and last pitched on 9-23. Bieber should be sharp and on his game tonight in Cleveland. 

 

• Bieber is a strike out pitcher that will throw right-handed against a predominantly right-handed offense that is prone to the strikeout. 

Yankees fans, there's hope tonight. While the Bombers offense may not string together many hits or put up many crooked numbers, one thing you have to remember is that Bieber's stats were accumulated by beating up on the AL Central and NL Central, not the AL East. Don't get me wrong, the NL Central is tough and they sent four teams to the postseason in 2020, but Bieber hasn't really faced an offense like the New York Yankees much. 

Bieber faced the Royals twice, Detroit twice, and Pittsburgh once while facing off with the Minnesota Twins three times (twice without Josh Donaldson), Milwaukee once (barely slipped into the 8th seed in the NL) and the White Sox twice including Bieber's final start of the season. 

Bieber is good, Bieber is damn good in fact, but he is not unbeatable. It won't be easy, but if Cole World and Higgy can hold down Jose Ramirez and their offense I feel supremely confident that we will leave tonight with a victory and a 1-0 series lead. I've been right about a lot this season, and I don't expect to start being wrong now. 

Gerrit Cole career stats inside Progressive Field:

1-0 (2 GS)
2.57 ERA
14 IP
0.857 WHIP
7.7 SO/9
.178 BAA
1 HR allowed

— Greedy Pinstripes (@GreedyStripes) September 29, 2020

Twitter Poll: One Game Playoff, Severino or Tanaka Start?

@GreedyStripes first of all, there's no WC. It's either all or nothing!!! Non of that WC crap!! Second...that's a tough Q, but I'll say Sevy

— Edwin E Sierra (@EdSier) August 23, 2015

I am absolutely all-in for the New York Yankees this season and I agree with the above tweet that it is American League East Division title or nothing. This is simply a hypothetical Twitter Poll this morning, if the Yankees did have to settle for a Wild Card and a one-game playoff who does Joe Girardi have starting that contest? Assuming that everyone is well rested and on their normal rest who starts that game if you, not Joe Girardi, is making the decision? Is it the rookie who seems unfazed by the bright lights in Luis Severino or is it the ace that's honestly never been there before either in his Major League career in Masahiro Tanaka?

@GreedyStripes Severino. I know he's a rookie, but he's been consistent through every start so far.

— Laurie Girardot (@KenneyLaurie) August 23, 2015

@GreedyStripes Severino

— Rif Lekperi (@RLjekperic) August 22, 2015

@GreedyStripes of those two Tanaka. But if off DL what about Pineda?

— markblakemore (@markblakemore) August 22, 2015

@GreedyStripes Tanaka. Keep Severino in the bullpen in case Tanaka flops.

— Andrew Rizzo (@Chill_Bananas) August 22, 2015

@GreedyStripes Too early to tell. Severing has proven himself in 3 starts but not sure if fair to put that pressure on him first game.

— Rach (@RachelG48NYY) August 22, 2015

@GreedyStripes id go with severino. This way your one two punch of tanaka and pineda are still lined up

— Nick Abbate (@PinstripedBX2) August 22, 2015

@GreedyStripes Tanaka. Gotta go with the ace.

— The Silent Assassin (@SilentAssassinM) August 22, 2015

@GreedyStripes Tanaka...too much to throw on the kid so early...Girardi will probably start Capuano lol

— Joey D (@bigjowe) August 22, 2015

@GreedyStripes servino cause if win u want a vet to start game 1

— donaldday (@donaldday0129) August 22, 2015

@GreedyStripes Severino. He looks poised, doesn't seem to let the spotlight get to him

— Yankees ( 68-54) (@Chris_Giraldo22) August 22, 2015

@GreedyStripes Tanaka

— Shane Corey (@Shane_Corey) August 22, 2015

Personally I give the ball to Severino with a short leash if I am making the decision. We have only seen Severino make a handful of starts in his MLB career and his worst may have been his start Saturday against the Indians as he struggled with command and he still won the game. Severino's stuff is so good that even with less than stellar command he still found a way to hold Cleveland to just one run and still found a way to win. Severino strikes out nearly 10 batters a game and has not shown that he is going to be home run prone, the same cannot be said for Tanaka. This is not in any way meant to disrespect Tanaka, he's the ace and he's the starting pitcher that will lead us to the promised land, this is merely my personal preference.

What's yours? To be involved in the next Twitter Poll head over to the app and give @GreedyStripes a follow and be on the lookout for our next Twitter Poll tweet. We will not use your answers without informing you first.

Don't Count Us Out Yet

That's not going to be easy to climb.

The mountain the Yankees need to climb in order to get into the playoffs seems insurmountable. With just 15 games remaining, they are 4.5 games in back of the Kansas City Royals for the second wild card berth. On top of that, they have to pass not just the Royals, but also the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, and Seattle Mariners.

But it's not impossible.

I know... I know. Here goes Bryan again, being overly optimistic about the Yankees. But hear me out.

The Yankees are tied with the Indians in the standings, but the Tribe hasn't been "killing it" lately themselves (5-5 in their last 10 games). Therefore, getting ahead of them doesn't seem to be a big issue. Although, to be fair, Cleveland's remaining schedule isn't that hard, either. They will face Houston four times, and Minnesota and Tampa Bay three times each. So while ESPN has the Indians playoff chances at just 2.8%, you can't dismiss them.

Seattle faces Lester later today, and has seven games against the Angels... who have the best record in baseball. There other games are against the Astros and Blue Jays. The Mariners could easily lose today, lose four of the seven games against the Angels, lose one game out of the three against Houston (they are in Houston), and one or two games on the road against Toronto. Finishing the season 6-8 or 7-7 would not put them in a good spot at all, unless they are only concerned with where they will sit in order to watch the MLB Postseason.

Looking at the rest of the schedule for New York, it's definitely not daunting.

They will have to face Alex Cobb again, but if Michael Pineda can keep the game close then there's certainly a chance at a "W". The other two games versus the Rays are against Jake Odorizzi (10-12) and Nathan Karns (just one start this season), two guys that are absolutely beatable.
Edit: News just came that Alex Colome will start on Monday. Not sure how this affects the rest of the schedule, but it doesn't change my opinion any.

The Yanks will then come back home to face the Toronto Blue Jays, one of the teams standing in their way to the playoffs. Although the Jays are playing well as of late (7-3 in their last 10 games), none of the four pitchers they will put out there to start games are that imposing (RA Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Marcus Stroman, and Drew Hutchinson). I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Bombers swept the Jays, leapfrogging them in the standings with ease.

The team's last four games at Yankee Stadium this year (at least in the regular season) are against the first place Orioles. Although it's not going to be easy in any of those four games, the pitching matchups look good. In the first game it will be Brandon McCarthy vs. Wei Yin Chen, Shane Greene will face off against Kevin Gausman in game two, the third game will feature Hiroki Kuroda vs. Bud Norris, and finally it'll be Chris Capuano vs. Miguel Gonzalez. Again... not easy, but certainly not impossible to win games.

The final three games of the regular season will be played against the Red Sox in Boston, and there's no reason why the Yankees couldn't sweep that series and end 2014 on a great note. Not only will Michael Pineda take the ball in the first game, but Brandon McCarthy will likely get one of the last two starts, and we could see Masahiro Tanaka in one of those games as well. Even if Tanaka doesn't pitch, though, it's not as though Greene, Kuroda, or Capuano would be a problem.

No matter what happens in the final 15 games this season, 2014 has been a disaster. There's no way you can watch a team spend big in free agency like the Yankees did and not be big-time disappointed with a wild card berth into the playoffs. But you can't dwell on the past. This is what needs to be done now, and while the road will be rough it can be crossed. So let's get it done!

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!

Second Wild Card Has Killed The Trade Deadline

Please don't sue me....

I don't know about you guys but the trading deadline was always the second best part of the baseball season for me. As a Yankees fan the playoffs and World Series was always the best but I thoroughly enjoyed the trading deadline and the winter meetings and such. I can remember, way back in the good ole days when we couldn't get roster updates on our baseball games, scouring the web and watching Baseball Tonight for all the Yankees moves so I could go manually update my team in my game. The Yankees getting greedy and consistently adding talent when they needed to even spawned off this blog in a way. Ever since the second Wild Card though that aura is gone, isn't it?

The past two seasons have been generally quiet and rather boring for the most part. Before the second wild card there was a significant trade going down every day in the final week to week and a half of July. This week I believe the most notable trade, at the time of this writing anyway, is Justin Masterson and his disabled list knees and 5.51 ERA heading to St. Louis for their top outfield prospect. 

In year's past you had the fire sales and the big names traded away and you're simply not seeing that anymore. The Tampa Bay Rays seem content to hold onto David Price, for example, even though they are seven games back in the AL East division. Why? They are still in the discussion for the second wild card. 

The second wild card was a great idea on paper until they announced it was a one game playoff and not a three game playoff and now it's screwing up my favorite time of the summer. I'm not sure how you fix it, or if you even can, but something needs to be done. As a fan this is pretty bland. Who agrees?

7/30 Yankees Game Preview vs. Texas Rangers

The New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers will play tonight in the final game of three game set at the Ballpark in Arlington. The Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face off with the Rangers Colby Lewis. The game will be played at 8:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Kuroda is coming off a less than impressive start in which he allowed four runs in 5.2 innings against the high powered offense of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees gave Kuroda enough run support to get him his seventh victory of the season.

Lewis has not beat the Yankees in his last four starts fresh off a loss in his last start against New York. Lewis is 0-3 against the Yankees in his career, a trend that New York hopes to continue tonight. Lewis pitched 6.1 innings and allowed only four hits and three earned runs to raise his career ERA against the Yankees to 6.14.

Get your Yankees tickets now as the Yankees make their push towards October. Get your tickets right here on the blog for all games home or away. We don't charge shipping costs or associate any sort of fees with our tickets, what you see is what you get, so buy a pair now. 

Go Yankees!!

The Daily Dozen - July 26, 2014

THE DAILY  DOZEN
(Twelve Takeaways from Today's Game - July 26th, 2014)

1. What's with Jeter hitting the ball to left lately?  I mean...heck it's good that he is, but isn't he supposed to only hit away since he's 40?  Jeter went 2 for 4 today with a walk and now has 3,416 hits on his career resume for those counting at home.

2. Capuano shut out the Blue Jays for 4 innings.  In those 4 innings he only gave up 2 hits but sprinkled in a scary first inning.  I'm sure the crowd at Yankee Stadium was getting uneasy having the bases loaded in his Pinstripe debut. He recorded the first two outs before plunking JoeyBats, giving up a shallow single, and then a walk to the power hitter known as Steve Tolleson.

3. Remember Wayne Tolleson?  He was a utility player for the Yankees from 1986 to 1990 batting .223.  He also wore the #2.  "Now batting...#2...Wayne Tolleson...#2..."  Well, his boy batted better than .223 today and had a key sacrifice fly in the 5th to tie the game.  I wonder if he's going to be sad that his number is being retired?

Nice mustache!

4. The only hit through 3 innings was to Dioner Navarro, a former Yankee.  Enter the former Yankee curse.  Of course, Navarro only played in 5 games for the Yanks back in 2004.  Since then he has played for six other big league teams.

5. The Yankees have a 37% chance of making the playoffs.  According to MLB.com's Postseason Probabilities Chart, on June 6th the Blue Jays had a 84% chance of making followed by the Yankees at 34% and Orioles at 19%.  As of June 25th, those numbers are 69% Baltimore, 37% New York, and 29% Toronto...wow have the Blue Jays fallen off a cliff.  Interestingly, the defending World Series Champs have a 2% chance of making it.  I guess Ellsbury made the right choice!

The Yankees holding steady at 37%. (Source: MLB.com)

6. Ellsbury's Defense.  That is all.

7. Acquisitions in the offseason and during this last month did just about everything in the 4th.  Ellsbury made a spectacular play on defense, Beltran walked, McCann jacked a 2-run bomb, and Headley got a single.  Maybe Cashman is a genius?

8. The Melk-man delivereth.  Enter the curse of Past Yankees 2.  In the 5th, Melky got the Blue Jays on the board with a double scoring good ol' JoeyBats.  Cabrera has 12 home runs and 52 RBI, which would easily lead the Yankees outfield if he was still a Yankee.  But hell, that was a LONG time ago and I definitely prefer Gardner over PED-boy.  Since the 5 year stint with NY, Melky has played for 4 teams in 5 seasons...ouch.

"Man...Canada really sucks..." (Source: Yahoo Sports)

9. Whitley the Reliever << Whitley the Starter.  Chase has been great over the past few starts for the Yankees.  His first opportunity as a reliever was an absolute stinkfest!

10. Hindsight is 20-20.  Anyone think the Binder would have preferred to keep Capuano in after Kelley, and Thornton, Whitley, and Francis gave up 4 runs out of the bullpen?  I believe I have come up with a new dictionary term by the way called Thorntoned.

11. Toronto had lost 17 in a row at the Stadium prior to today.  That streak went all the way back to August 29, 2012.  Man that was a long time ago...wait...no it wasn't...oh that's right...they play each other 18 or 19 times a season.  Still that's a pretty impressive streak.  And Beltran got the Yankees close to extending it in the 9th.

12. Dan Johnson played the role of Yankee Killer this afternoon.  He was 2 for 5 with a home run and 4 RBI.  Coming into the game he was batting .217 with 0 HR and 3 RBI.  Only in Baseball.