This Day In New York Yankees History 7/6: Hello Brandon McCarthy

On this day in 2014 the New York Yankees acquired Brandon McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks along with some cash to offset his salary for starting pitcher Vidal Nuno and a prospect. McCarthy was a great trade for the Yankees as he reinvented himself and kept the team in the playoff chase for much of the second half.


Also on this day in 2014 the Yankees finally designated struggling outfielder Alfonso Soriano for assignment to make room for Bruce Billings in the bullpen. Soriano had burst onto the scene in the second half of 2013 with the team but could not replicate that success in 2014. Soriano would later retire after the designation.


Also on this day in 2002 the Yankees were in a center field plaque kind of mood again as they unveiled one for Reggie Jackson prior to Old Timers Day. Jackson spent five seasons in New York and helped the Yankees reach the playoffs four times and win two World Series in 1977 and 1978.


Also on this day in 1941 the Yankees construct and unveil and center field monument for the late Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium. The memorial was much like the memorial the Yankees bestowed on Miller Huggins in 1932. This was a tribute from Gehrig's teammates to their beloved captain who died just a month earlier of ALS.


Finally on this day in 1938 and the All Star Game was being played at Crosley Field with the New York Yankees Lefty Gomez on the mound to start against the National League. This was Gomez's fourth All Star start and his first loss as the NL beat the AL 4-1. The NL shortstop Leo Durocher becomes the first Dodger to start in an All Star Game and gets a bunt home run.

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/6: Hello Brandon McCarthy

On this day in 2014 the New York Yankees acquired Brandon McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks along with some cash to offset his salary for starting pitcher Vidal Nuno and a prospect. McCarthy was a great trade for the Yankees as he reinvented himself and kept the team in the playoff chase for much of the second half.


Also on this day in 2014 the Yankees finally designated struggling outfielder Alfonso Soriano for assignment to make room for Bruce Billings in the bullpen. Soriano had burst onto the scene in the second half of 2013 with the team but could not replicate that success in 2014. Soriano would later retire after the designation.


Also on this day in 2002 the Yankees were in a center field plaque kind of mood again as they unveiled one for Reggie Jackson prior to Old Timers Day. Jackson spent five seasons in New York and helped the Yankees reach the playoffs four times and win two World Series in 1977 and 1978.


Also on this day in 1941 the Yankees construct and unveil and center field monument for the late Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium. The memorial was much like the memorial the Yankees bestowed on Miller Huggins in 1932. This was a tribute from Gehrig's teammates to their beloved captain who died just a month earlier of ALS.


Finally on this day in 1938 and the All Star Game was being played at Crosley Field with the New York Yankees Lefty Gomez on the mound to start against the National League. This was Gomez's fourth All Star start and his first loss as the NL beat the AL 4-1. The NL shortstop Leo Durocher becomes the first Dodger to start in an All Star Game and gets a bunt home run.

ICYMI: Is Nathan Eovaldi Throwing Enough Innings?

Many have been extremely critical of Nathan Eovaldi in his short tenure as a member of the New York Yankees, and not without good reason. At the beginning of the season my stance was always that Eovaldi was donned as a work in progress and of course I preached sample size. Eovaldi was brought to the Yankees not to be an ace but to be a fifth starter in the rotation basically, for the sake of this post anyway we'll go with fifth starter as it could be argued that he was a fourth starter but that is simply sematics.

Since Eovaldi has seemingly "figured it out" by adding a splitter to his repetoire the knock on him has been his inability to pitch late into ball game. Is this a legitimate beef with a guy who is donned as the team's fifth starter(on the depth chart, not according to performance)? I didn't think so but rather than simply throw my opinion out there I decided to take a look at the history of the Yankees in my lifetime with their fifth starters and how it translated to how deep they went into games.

Keep in mind that the game has changed drastically over the past four or five seasons, especially in New York. Back in the late 90's and throughout the 2000's the emphasis was more or less on strong starting pitching and bashing the hell out of the opponent. Lately the emphasis has changed to strong and deeper bullpens, shortening the games, etc. Naturally with that you would theoretically see your fifth start especially being affected by this mindset which I think it shown on the graph above.

The problem is not that Eovaldi is throwing less than six innings in a start, the problem is that Brian Cashman made moved that forced our fifth starter into a potential five game series playoff start. It's Cashman and company that still believe in CC Sabathia a lot more than we all do, it is Cashman and company that moved Adam Warren back to the bullpen and it is Cashman who did not upgrade the team before the July 31st trade deadline. Luis Severino is on the way, let's hope he's the savior and this all becomes a moot point.

*all stats courtesy of Baseball Reference 

Is Nathan Eovaldi Throwing Enough Innings?

Many have been extremely critical of Nathan Eovaldi in his short tenure as a member of the New York Yankees, and not without good reason. At the beginning of the season my stance was always that Eovaldi was donned as a work in progress and of course I preached sample size. Eovaldi was brought to the Yankees not to be an ace but to be a fifth starter in the rotation basically, for the sake of this post anyway we'll go with fifth starter as it could be argued that he was a fourth starter but that is simply sematics.

Since Eovaldi has seemingly "figured it out" by adding a splitter to his repetoire the knock on him has been his inability to pitch late into ball game. Is this a legitimate beef with a guy who is donned as the team's fifth starter(on the depth chart, not according to performance)? I didn't think so but rather than simply throw my opinion out there I decided to take a look at the history of the Yankees in my lifetime with their fifth starters and how it translated to how deep they went into games.

Keep in mind that the game has changed drastically over the past four or five seasons, especially in New York. Back in the late 90's and throughout the 2000's the emphasis was more or less on strong starting pitching and bashing the hell out of the opponent. Lately the emphasis has changed to strong and deeper bullpens, shortening the games, etc. Naturally with that you would theoretically see your fifth start especially being affected by this mindset which I think it shown on the graph above.

The problem is not that Eovaldi is throwing less than six innings in a start, the problem is that Brian Cashman made moved that forced our fifth starter into a potential five game series playoff start. It's Cashman and company that still believe in CC Sabathia a lot more than we all do, it is Cashman and company that moved Adam Warren back to the bullpen and it is Cashman who did not upgrade the team before the July 31st trade deadline. Luis Severino is on the way, let's hope he's the savior and this all becomes a moot point.

*all stats courtesy of Baseball Reference 

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/6: Hello Brandon McCarthy

On this day in 2014 the New York Yankees acquired Brandon McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks along with some cash to offset his salary for starting pitcher Vidal Nuno and a prospect. McCarthy was a great trade for the Yankees as he reinvented himself and kept the team in the playoff chase for much of the second half.


Also on this day in 2014 the Yankees finally designated struggling outfielder Alfonso Soriano for assignment to make room for Bruce Billings in the bullpen. Soriano had burst onto the scene in the second half of 2013 with the team but could not replicate that success in 2014. Soriano would later retire after the designation.


Also on this day in 2002 the Yankees were in a center field plaque kind of mood again as they unveiled one for Reggie Jackson prior to Old Timers Day. Jackson spent five seasons in New York and helped the Yankees reach the playoffs four times and win two World Series in 1977 and 1978.


Also on this day in 1941 the Yankees construct and unveil and center field monument for the late Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium. The memorial was much like the memorial the Yankees bestowed on Miller Huggins in 1932. This was a tribute from Gehrig's teammates to their beloved captain who died just a month earlier of ALS.


Finally on this day in 1938 and the All Star Game was being played at Crosley Field with the New York Yankees Lefty Gomez on the mound to start against the National League. This was Gomez's fourth All Star start and his first loss as the NL beat the AL 4-1. The NL shortstop Leo Durocher becomes the first Dodger to start in an All Star Game and gets a bunt home run.

Could New York Have Acquired Mark Trumbo?

I don’t know if it’s just me or not but after every big trade that goes down I have to wonder if the New York Yankees could have pulled off a similar trade to improve the team. That was no different when I was checking MLB Trade Rumors and saw that the Seattle Mariners had acquired Mark Trumbo and Vidal Nuno from the Arizona Diamondbacks for catcher Wellington Castillo, a relief pitcher and two prospects I will not pretend to know anything about. Trumbo is a power hitting right handed bat that can play first base and the outfield and would make for an instant, and substantial, upgrade over Garrett Jones on the roster but could the Yankees have pulled it off?

The first thing that would work out in the Yankees favor is that Brian Cashman seemingly has a good working relationship with the GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks Dave Stewart. Cashman only seems to trade with certain teams, the Atlanta Braves, the Seattle Mariners, the D Backs, etc. so with that hurdle out of the way it would have come down to the package the Yankees could offer. You have to wonder if Seattle was genuinely interested in Nuno or if he was a throw in to offset some salary but for the sake of this post I’ll assume Seattle merely wanted him and the Yankees have little use for him leaving him out of any potential deal.

Arizona needed a catcher to replace the last catcher we traded them, Peter O’Brien, as he continues to struggle to throw the ball back to the pitcher and has been moved to the outfield and a catcher to back up newly called up Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Whether Austin Romine, Eddy Rodriguez or Gary Sanchez would have been enough or comparable to Castillo remains to be seen but even with Sanchez in the package you have to make the deal with Trumbo under contract for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The Yankees have a plethora of young RHP arms that could have equaled or exceeded the relief pitcher Arizona acquired while New York at least matched the two lesser known prospects.

All in all in looks like New York could have matched Seattle in any package and made the deal for Trumbo. The costs probably would not have justified the means for what would become a part-time player in New York making the deal likely in the end but it still feels good to know that Cashman has the pieces in place to make a deal if he so wishes and if it makes the team better in the long run.

McCarthy Wants to Return to Yankees Next Season

Yankees' Starting Pitcher Brandon McCarthy wants to return to the team next season, he told The Star Ledger's Brendan Kuty yesterday. 

McCarthy, 31, was acquired by the Yanks from the Diamondbacks July 6 in exchange for struggling lefty Vidal Nuno. In his time with New York, which was preceded by a bad first few months, McCarthy flourished against a number of solid opponents, going 7-5 with a 2.89 ERA.

"There's nothing in my time that I've seen that makes me think (not)," he said.

McCarthy, who will be a free agent this winter, cited the people around him in the organization as reasons. Since joining the club, as you may or may not already know, McCarthy has often credited Pitching Coach Larry Rothschild for his successes due to the latter's assertion that he throw more cutters. 

"The coaching staff is great," McCarthy said. "Teammates are great. The facilities, everything is top notch. There wasn't anything that turns you off."

Hopefully the Yankees are thinking the same thing, as re-signing McCarthy would likely be a cheap way to better their rotation. 

Is Chase Whitley The Next To Go?

I think it is pretty clear what Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s plan and motives are this season, trade away young talent for veteran pieces and make a run at a postseason spot. Cashman has already traded away a struggling Vidal Nuno to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Brandon McCarthy and Yangervis Solarte and Rafael DePaula for Chase Headley. Is Chase Whitley next?

The one thing that Solarte, DePaula, and Nuno have in common, besides their ages and amount of cheap team control, is their falls from grace. Solarte was easily the Yankees best offensive player for about two months before sample size and the rest of the league caught up with him. I think Solarte could have turned it around but he seems like his own worst enemy, he was obviously in his own head when he went through his lengthy slump that ultimately got him sent down to the minor leagues. Nuno was well thought of last season and for much of Spring Training before heading into the rotation out of necessity early in the season. Nuno is a soft tossing lefty that got figured out and didn’t have the stuff to adjust, simple as that. DePaula represented the Yankees in the 2013 Futures Game and struggled after a move to High A with the Tampa Yankees. DePaula continued to struggle as a starter this season and talks of moving him to the bullpen had already begun before the trade.

Enter Whitley who came out of the gates in the Yankees rotation, again out of necessity, blazing pitching extremely well for his first seven or eight starts before hitting a wall. Whitley struggled for multiple starts consecutively and has been since moved to the bullpen and replaced with Chris Capuano in the rotation. If history is any indicator of the future it seems like with less than two days before the trading deadline Whitley will be moved for another marginal upgrade and rental veteran player.

I truly think the Yankees have something in Whitley and if they can baby him through this season and stretch him out even more over the winter I think he could be an asset. I am under no illusions that he could be a top of the rotation starter but I will say that he has been a starter less than a full calendar year after being converted from a relief pitcher last season in Triple-A. The slate is pretty clear and the sky is the limit for Whitley and I would hate to lose him for a John Danks this week. Hopefully Cashman is reading and won’t make another mistake to win now and screw later. 

Yankees Scouting Padres' Ian Kennedy

Going into next Thursday's trade deadline, it's obvious to us all that the Yankees need another starting pitcher.

Currently, their rotation consists of known-to-struggle-late veterans Hiroki Kuroda and Brandon McCarthy, with the seemingly-reliable David Phelps, Shane Greene, and Chase Whitley rounding things out.

Now overall, that group does look pretty good, but since Whitley and Greene's collapse could be inevitable the team is being cautious, scouting Padres right-hander Ian Kennedy yesterday.

According to Fox Sports 1's Jon Morosi, the Yanks had someone on hand for Kennedy's outing last night, in which the 29-year-old tossed 6 innings of three-run ball against the hometown Cubs.

No, that kind of performance isn't amazing, but considering that the ex-Bomber does have a 3.66 ERA in 135 1/3 IP he is pretty likable, something underrated yet important.

This year's trade deadline, as does every year's, falls at 4:00 pm ET on July 31, leaving a mere seven days for Yankees GM Brian Cashman to add more pieces to his club.

Remember, going into this last week Cashman has to acquire another arm and probably another bat, no easy task when two of your top major-league trade pieces (Vidal Nuno and Yangervis Solarte) have already been dealt.

Yankees, White Sox Discussing John Danks Trade

Brian Cashman has already turned less than stellar players Yangervis Solarte and Vidal Nuno into rentals of Brandon McCarthy and Chase Headley and he may not be done. The White Sox and the Yankees are reportedly talking a trade that would send starting pitcher John Danks to New York. Nothing is imminent but it's exciting that the Yankees are giving this a real shot this season.

Danks is only 29 years old and left handed but had a torn shoulder capsule in 2012 and hasn't pitched well since. His velocity is down since the surgery and has a 4.35 ERA and 4.70 FIP this season in 124 innings. Danks is still owed $35 million through the 2016 season which makes me think the Yankees should stay away. If they make the trade it had better come cheap, even then I might still disagree.

Stay tuned.

Yankee Blogging and Yankee Fandom Don't Always Mix

With every season that passes and every game that I watch the harder it gets to be both a fan of the New York Yankees and a blogger who covers the team. In an interview with our friend Mike Ashmore, formerly of the Trenton Thunder and current Somerset Patriots blogger who does a fantastic job at everything he does, he spoke of your “fandom” going out the window when you do the job long enough, a statement that I initially scoffed at but it’s true. I am in no way any less of a fan now than I was when I started this, in fact I am more of fan because I monitor and scrutinize everything and pay so close of attention to everything that it may be ruining it for me a little.

For example, I have been the most vocal and animated about the “struggles” of a guy that has 12 wins and a 2.52 ERA in his rookie season than anyone on the planet. Instead of remembering, and I have to remind myself quite often, that he is a rookie and in the United States for his first time and adjusting to four days of rest, a new catcher, new mound, new ball, and a plethora of other factors, I find myself constantly looking for patterns. I am constantly looking for things to write about, things to improve upon, and areas that I find concerning. I am more vocal about Masahiro Tanaka than I was about Vidal Nuno, Chase Whitley, Michael Pineda, etc.

When the Yankees win I’m ecstatic and I want to get on Twitter and joke and cut up and rag on the opposing team a little, any fan does, and when the Yankees lose I want to scream and break things and curse, again any fan does, but I don’t. I try to keep the Twitter as rated PG as I can and safe for work so it’s more enjoyable for everyone. Maybe I should start using my personal @DanielBurch account when we’re losing.

I am in no way complaining here, I’m not contemplating retirement from blogging or being a New York Yankees fan either, I just had to get this off my chest. It’s something I felt I needed to say so here it is. I hope everyone understands and appreciates all the work that myself and the rest of the Greedy Pinstripes family puts into this. We love doing it and we love this team, that’s why we do it, even if the payment (monetary or not) is not always there. I love blogging and I love the Yankees more than anything besides my children, wife, and family in that order but damn it’s hard to be both sometimes. 

Meet A Prospect: Brandon McCarthy

We haven’t done one of these in a while and since the Yankees just acquired Brandon McCarthy I figured why the heck not. Let me introduce you to the newest member of the New York Yankees, Mr. McCarthy. McCarthy will make his debut for the Bronx Bombers tonight against the Cleveland Indians as he looks to fill the big shoes of Vidal Nuno for New York.

Brandon Patrick McCarthy was born on July 7, 1983. McCarthy spent his high school years at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado and graduated in 2002 before being drafted out of high school by the Chicago White Sox in the 17^th round of the 2002 MLB First Year Players Draft. McCarthy signed and started his professional career in 2003 where he pitched 101 innings and struck out 125 batters while only walking 15. McCarthy’s command and control was on display again in 2004 when he led all minor league pitchers with 202 strikes outs opening the eyes of the big league club White Sox. The White Sox called up McCarthy for the 2005 season and he made his major league debut on May 22, 2005 in a spot start against the Chicago Cubs. McCarthy would see 12 games, 10 of them as a starter, that year going 3-2 and getting a World Series ring. McCarthy spent the entire 2006 season with the White Sox as a relief pitcher and spot starter before being traded with David Paisano to the Texas Rangers for John Danks, Nick Masset, and Jake Rasner.

McCarthy had an injury plagued first season with the Rangers, his first full season as a starting pitcher, in 2007 including suffering a stress fracture in his right shoulder blade that kept him out of action for right at two months. McCarthy’s first season as a Ranger did not go as planned as he finished with a 5-10 record in 22 starts. His stat line and luck did not get any better in 2008 when he got inflammation in his right elbow during spring training and was out for a huge chunk of the season between his rehab and the eventual surgery he endured. McCarthy missed all of the 2010 season as well after a right shoulder surgery before becoming a free agent and maybe finding his niche, finally.

McCarthy would sign with the Oakland Athletics as a free agent before the 2011 season and pitched 25 games adding a two-seam fastball and a cutter that turned him into the ground ball machine that we all know him as today. McCarthy finished 2011 with the lowest FIP among American League starting pitchers, a stat that earned him the spot as the A’s Opening Day starter in 2012. 2012 was pretty uneventful for McCarthy until that September 5 night where he took a line drive to the head off the Angels Erick Aybar’s bat that resulted in two hours of surgery to relieve cranial pressure. McCarthy suffered a epidural hemorrhage, a brain contusion (deep bruise), and a skull fracture ending his 2012 season. McCarthy finished the 2012 season, and his Athletics career, with an 8-6 record in 2012 in 18 starts.

McCarthy would spend the 2013 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks after signing a free agent contract with the club in December of 2012. McCarthy signed a two year deal worth $15.5 million and almost immediately went on the disabled list for continued shoulder problems. McCarthy finished 2013 with a 5-11 record in 22 starts and had a less than stellar season in 2014 to date before the Yankees acquired him for Vidal Nuno over the weekend.

All this means nothing in the grand scheme of things, the injuries,  the line drive to the head, the seizure that was linked to his head injury, etc. It’s all in the past. Tonight McCarthy turns the page and starts a new chapter in a new book of his life and his career as he begins his career as a New York Yankees. Go get ‘em Brandon! Good luck!!

New York Yankees Game Preview vs. Cleveland Indians 7/7

The New York Yankees just spent the last four games in Minnesota and will spend the next four games in Cleveland at Progressive Field to face off with the Cleveland Indians. The Yankees will send Shane Greene to the mound to face off with Justin Masterson for the Indians. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, ESPN, MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Greene will be making his first start of his major league career after the Yankees traded today's original starter Vidal Nuno to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Brandon McCarthy. Greene has been solid in Triple-A in his last few starts and looks to build on that confidence in New York today. Also the Yankees may be showcasing Greene for a trade tonight.

Masterson has had an up and down season in 2014 at the worst possible time since he is a free agent after this season. Masterson allowed eight runs and 14 hits with seven walks in a combined seven innings in his last two starts for the Indians.

Get your Yankees tickets for this game if you're in Cleveland or for Wednesday night's start to see Brandon McCarthy make his pinstripes debut right HERE on the blog. If you're not in Ohio then go see the Yankees next week after the All Star Break live when they return back to Yankee Stadium to host the Reds.

Go Yankees!!

Will Yankee Stadium Help Or Hurt Brandon McCarthy?

I love to look at BIP locations to see if a stadium will possibly help or hurt a player or pitcher so I decided to look at Yankee Stadium and Brandon McCarthy. McCarthy has been pitching in a hitting friendly Chase Field in Arizona so it wouldn't be a huge step for him to go to Yankee Stadium. McCarthy is a sinker ball pitcher that gets nearly 60% of his outs on ground balls but what about the one's that go in the air? See below:

Dark Blue = home runs

Lighter Blue = Triples

Light Blue = Doubles

All his home runs are out in Yankee Stadium which is not all that surprising. One triple gets out in Yankee Stadium but he's only allowed one all season so I don't worry about that one. Enter concern, eight of his doubles allowed get out of Yankee Stadium and another three (almost four) make it to the warning track. I always wonder how much the ball travels in New York as opposed to Arizona so I worry about him keeping the ball down, even at a career best 55% ground ball ratio this season. All his line outs, fly outs, pop outs, etc are easily outs in New York as well so it seems like when McCarthy gets burned he gets burned, but he's still ultimately better than Nuno and that's a start.

Reaction to the Yankees Trading Nuno for McCarthy

Since the first whispers of this year's trading season, it's been pretty much guaranteed that the Yankees were going to get somebody.

First off, they were pursuing Jeff Samardzija, followed later by names such as David Price and Jason Hammel.

While those guys are obviously appealing, it seemed blatant from the beginning they weren't actually going to end up in Pinstripes, something that appeared to become official today, as the Yanks sent Vidal Nuno to Arizona in exchange for the struggling Brandon McCarthy.

McCarthy, a 30-year-old veteran who has previously played in the AL with the White Sox, Rangers, and A's, has gone just 3-10 with a 5.01 ERA so far in 2014, making the fact that Yanks wanted him a little strange.

In his career, McCarthy has also spent a lot of time being injured, again causing him to look less-than-favorable. 

Add the fact that Nuno's been pretty good in his last two starts and you have a perfect formula for a letdown, as the Bombers don't really get any better with this deal.

Sure, you could say that the AL East is easier to pitch in than the NL West, although that argument still appears flawed when you consider the former's ability to hit home runs, a skill that can be deadly when playing at Yankee Stadium.

First Impressions Of Brandon McCarthy Trade

By now you've all heard that the Yankees traded Vidal Nuno to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Brandon McCarthy. It wasn't a straight swap, as the D'Backs will eat $2.05 million of the $4.1 million owed to McCarthy, while the Yankees will pay a $1 million assignment bonus. So basically this move cost the Yankees $3.05 million, which is okay with me seeing as how McCarthy has been worth $6.6 million this year.

So what do I think of the deal?

For starters, I'm not going to miss Vidal Nuno.

Going by other's reactions to Nuno's pitching, I'm not alone.

After 13 starts, Nuno had an ERA of 5.42, to go along with a WHIP of 1.436, and FIP of 5.15. And allow me to point out that only three of those 13 starts were of the "quality" variety. In fact, Vidal failed to give the Yankees six or more innings in eight of those 13 starts, making guys like Adam Warren and Dellin Betances work a little harder.

Before you start thinking Nuno may have just been a little unlucky, his BABIP against was .301, which is almost exactly average for the league. That's not good for a guy whose opponents had a line drive percentage of 23%.

So it sounds like it wouldn't be hard for the Yankees to improve here. Well, let's see...

Brandon McCarthy has an ERA of 5.01, along with a WHIP of 1.377, and FIP of 3.79. A slightly better ERA, along with a slightly better WHIP, doesn't instill a lot of confidence in me. And while the better FIP may look good on paper, in reality that doesn't do much help, seeing as how McCarthy is a ground-ball pitcher and the Diamondbacks defense in the middle of the infield is definitely better than the Yankees.

I suppose you could say Brandon has been somewhat unlucky this season, seeing as how opposing batters have a BABIP of .347 against. However, those same batters have a line drive percentage of 26%, so it's not like McCarthy isn't being hit hard this season.

To cause further concern over this move, Brandon has had shoulder issues almost his entire career. He first suffered a stress fracture in his scapula back in 2007, making him miss 27 games. Two seasons later McCarthy missed 77 games after another stress fracture. A third stress fracture in 2010 caused him to miss 61 games. Guess what happened in 2011? Yep... another stress fracture making McCarthy sit out 41 games. More shoulder issues, although not any fractures, led to Brandon missing 72 games in 2012. Finally, last season, he missed 55 games with shoulder soreness.

Just typing all that out was exhausting.

So even though Brandon McCarthy tends to pitch deeper into games, taking stress off of the already overused Yankees bullpen, how long will it be before he lands on the DL with another shoulder problem?

I guess you could say I'm not a fan of this move. While it's nice to see that Vidal Nuno will never start a game for the Yankees again, I'm not sure Brandon McCarthy is going to do much better. Not because McCarthy isn't a better pitcher, but because I'm not sure if he can avoid the disabled list. If that happens, then the Yankees and I will be happy.

Bruce Billings Is In The Yankee Clubhouse

Bruce Billings just walked into the clubhouse #Yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) July 6, 2014

We all thought that Bruce Billings was scratched from last night's start in Scranton because he was coming up to be the long man in the bullpen but that may not be true. With Vidal Nuno traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Brandon McCarthy Billings may instead be in line to start Monday against the Cleveland Indians. Stay tuned...

Yankees Trade For Brandon McCarthy

According to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Heyman, the Yankees have acquired Brandon McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Yankees have apparently sent Vidal Nuno to Arizona, in what appears to be a salary-dump trade.

Much more to come.

CC Sabathia Shut Down w/ Fluid In Knee

CC Sabathia came out of last night's  second rehab start pain free and discomfort free but woke up this morning with what else, a swollen knee. Another setback for Sabathia and he will now be shut down once again to try and get the swelling out of his right knee. CC will head for an MRI on the knee and probably get some fluid drained. For now, Vidal Nuno is safe.

Yankees Fall Below .500, Get Swept By Rays 6-3

For the Yankees and their fans, the fact that the team lost the first two games of this week's Rays series was already pretty bad. 

Going into the set, the Bombers were slumping, making a dignity win in today's series finale an absolute must.

Unfortunately, the struggling, currently-dead-in-every-way club couldn't even do that, getting swept by the Rays 6-3 and dropping to 41-42.

At the beginning of the Yanks' offensive day, things didn't look like they could get much better, as Brett Gardner led off the bottom of the first with a home run to right.

Later on in the third, Brian McCann would also take Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi (Win; 5.2 IP, 3 ER) deep, with Gardner tacking on another with a fourth-inning single to put the Pinstripes up 3-2.

That hit from Gardner, coming with two on and two out, was New York's only with RISP in 9 at-bats this afternoon, dropping their average in those situations to .036 since Saturday.

Still, at that point, the Yankees held a 3-2 lead, the third time already they had broken a tie. 

Sure, you could argue the way they did it wasn't pretty, but the fact that Vidal Nuno was doing alright was definitely reason for confidence.

Or, so it was thought. 

In the top of the fifth, Nuno (Loss; 5+ IP, 4 ER) surrendered an RBI Single to Rays LF Brandon Guyer, soon followed by another lead off hit in the team's next turn.  

Immediately after that inning-starting knock, Sean Rodriguez drove a Shawn Kelley pitch over the left-center field wall, giving Tampa a lead and essentially ending the ballgame.

The Yankees had given up their fifth run, something that usually kills their confidence, as they are just 1-32 this season when giving up that many trips around the bases.